Surviving Revenge
by snapple79
Summary: What happens when someone from Sam's past tracks him down? What will it mean for Sam and Andy?
1. Chapter 1

What happens when someone from Sam's past tracks him down? What will it mean for Sam and Andy?

This takes place sometime after season 2, but not too far into the future, and Sam and Andy are happily together. Reviews are wonderful, so please let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!

Happy New Year!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue.

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><p><strong><strong>Surviving Revenge<strong> - Chapter 1**

Andy waved goodbye to Traci as she drove away, and turned around to open the door to Sam's apartment. Sam was over at Jerry's for poker night and Andy was supposed to have a girl's night with Traci, but all she wanted to do after shift was crawl into bed thanks to the stupid cold making its way through everyone at the station. She hoped one more good night's sleep would get rid of it.

"Ugh, I just wish I could breath," Andy muttered to herself as she locked the door and flipped on the lights.

She was technically still staying with Traci, but ended up spending most of her time at Sam's even though they hadn't officially moved in together. She lost the first condo she wanted after everything happened with Brennan and she kept finding excuses not to go condo shopping again – she was too busy, too tired, had to work, didn't have anyone to go with. Even if she wouldn't willingly admit it, deep down she knew the reason she avoided finding a new condo was because she enjoyed coming home with Sam and spending so much time with him outside of work. But to officially move in together was a big step and she wasn't sure if she was ready for that yet. She trusted Sam with her life, but having her heart broken so many times she wasn't sure if she could fully trust him with her heart. Truthfully, she was scared.

Andy looked around the living room as she kicked off her shoes and took of her coat, leaving both near the door. She suddenly felt uneasy and regretted not asking Traci to come in, and telling Sam 'no' when he offered to skip poker night and come straight home with her. She shrugged off the feeling and went into the kitchen to make herself some soup.

While she waited for it to heat up, she heard her phone beep and saw she had a text from Sam. _Make sure to eat something before going to bed. Call me if you need anything. xoxo_

Andy smiled at how much he cared, and quickly wrote back, _I am, just made soup. Have fun, don't worry about me. xoxo_

She stuffed her phone back into her pocket and took the soup into the living room so she could curl up on the couch and watch some TV. Andy started to doze off after finishing the soup and decided it was time for bed.

She placed her bowl in the sink and went to change into her pajama pants and one of Sam's black t-shirts before taking some cold meds and collapsing into bed. She snuggled into his shirt, hoping it would comfort her uneasy feelings, like he was with her and wrapping his arms around her. With thoughts of Sam dancing through her head, she fell into a deep sleep.

Andy woke up a few hours later, and although she was a bit disoriented from the cold meds, she swore she heard footsteps in the living room. Sitting up she called out, "Sam? Sam, is that you?"

When there was no response, she began to get out of bed. "Hello, is someone there?"

Now nervous, Andy grabbed a key from a small box on Sam's dresser. Opening a drawer on the nightstand, she unlocked Sam's lockbox and grabbed the gun he kept there. There was enough moonlight shining through the windows so Andy could easily see her surroundings as she padded to the doorway.

Looking down the hallway toward the living room, she called out one more time. "Hello? I'm a cop and I'm armed, so if someone's there, show yourself now!"

Not getting a response, she walked into the hallway with her gun raised, deciding to head away from the living room to check the bathroom and laundry room first. Finding them empty, she slowly walked toward the living room. At first glance, she could tell the room was empty, but still walked around it before checking the sliding door that led to the back porch. Continuing her way through the apartment, she headed into the kitchen. Finding that empty as well, she let out a breath of air she hadn't realized she'd been holding in. With a brief thought that she must be going crazy, Andy walked toward the front door on the way back to the bedroom. She stopped, taking a closer look at the door and realized it was unlocked. _I'm sure I locked that when I came home_, she thought nervously. Opening the door carefully, she half expected to see someone on the stoop, but it was empty along with the sidewalk.

She closed the door and locked it before running back to the bedroom to grab her phone from the nightstand. Pressing number two on her speed dial, Andy waited for Sam to pick up.

"Need me to pick something up on the way home?" he asked. She could hear Jerry cursing in the background and Sam's muffled laugh, and assumed her boyfriend just took more of Jerry's money. Stifling a laugh of her own, Andy reminded herself why she was calling.

"Uh, no. Look, the cold meds might be making me crazy, but, uh, I woke up and thought I heard you come home and –"

"What? Is there someone in the apartment? Get out of there!" Sam cut her off.

"No, Sam, I cleared the place. There's no one here. That's why I thought I might be going crazy," Andy paused before continuing, knowing Sam was going to freak out again. "But the front door was unlocked and I _know_ I was careful to lock it when I got home."

Sam had already gotten up from the poker table and was grabbing his coat and keys when he responded. "Call Oliver, he's working tonight. Have him check things out. I'm on my way."

Andy agreed and called Oliver, telling him how someone might have broken into Sam's apartment. As she waited for him to arrive, she pocketed her phone and kept a firm hold on the gun. She walked around the apartment a bit before leaning her back against the front door. From this angle she had a full view of the living room and somehow that comforted her.

She looked around the room, at the chocolate-colored couch and matching chairs, the large television nestled between two bookcases, Sam's extensive book and DVD collections, a small desk tucked in the corner and the fireplace she'd fallen in love with. She felt at home here, and not only because her things were now scattered amongst his. Magazines she had yet to read were stacked on his coffee table, a stack of her books and DVDs sat in front of his, a collection of her shoes were piling up near the door and her favorite throw hung over the back of his couch. No, it wasn't her 'stuff' that made her feel at home, it was that Sam made her feel safe. They fit into each other's lives seamlessly, like the universe had a plan for them. She had never felt this comfortable with someone, but love – specifically loving Sam – scared her after all she'd been through.

Andy jumped when there was a knock at the door a few minutes later, but calmed when she saw it was Oliver. Opening the door, she said, "Thanks for coming."

"No problem, McNally. Let's have a look around," Oliver said as he entered the apartment. It was then that Andy realized someone was behind him.

"Dov? What are you doing here?" she asked surprised. They usually worked the same shifts.

"I swapped shifts so I can go to a concert with Sue next week," Dov answered, walking into the apartment and giving Andy a hug.

"Well, I'm glad it's you two responding because if this turns out to be nothing I'd be mortified I wasted anyone's time," Andy said slightly blushing. She was beginning to second-guess herself on whether or not she locked the door.

"If you thought you heard something, you probably did," Dov reassured her.

With Oliver and Dov listening, Andy told them the events of the evening that made her suspect someone might have been in the house. Just as she was finishing, Sam came rushing through the door, calling out to Andy, "Are you ok?" He grabbed her shoulders giving her a once over to make sure she was alright, either not hearing or ignoring her when she said she was fine.

"Why don't you two check to see if anything is missing," Oliver said to Sam and Andy before turning toward Dov. "I'm going to check out the front door to see if it was forced open. Epstein, you check out the sliding door in the back."

Sam glanced down and saw Andy was holding his gun. He smiled, thankful she felt comfortable enough to go into his lockbox to protect herself. "I'm glad I told you where I keep the key for that," Sam said, pointing to his gun.

"Me too," she said, returning the smile.

Sam glanced around the room and quickly noticed something was off with one of the pictures on his bookcase. "Andy, did you take the photo out of this frame?" he asked, walking over to look at it more closely.

Andy looked to see what Sam was talking about. "No, I love that photo of us."

Oliver heard the conversation and joined the couple in front of the bookcase. "What was the photo of?" he asked.

"It was Sam and I at Traci's Halloween party," she answered. "We were laughing since Traci insisted on taking a photo of us because we got lazy and wore our uniforms as our costumes."

With gloves on, Oliver picked up the frame and placed it in an evidence bag. "We can see if there are any fingerprints on it. It's all we have to go on right now. I'd bet whoever it was just picked the lock on the front door, but I can't find any obvious signs someone broke in," he said, wishing he found something that could be more helpful.

"Thanks Ollie," Sam said, slapping his friend on the back.

Once Oliver and Dov left, Sam made sure all the doors and windows were locked before heading to find Andy in the bedroom. She sensed him enter the room as she was locking his gun back up.

"So, were you taking all of Jerry's money again when I called?" she asked smiling.

"Of course, got half of last week's paycheck. He's really terrible when it comes to poker," he said, displaying all his dimples with a smile.

She laughed and sat on the bed before speaking again. "Taking a photo of us, that's just weird, right?" She shivered at the thought someone would break in just to take a photograph.

Sam nodded in agreement. "There were a lot more valuable things the person could have taken," he said, worried about who broke in and why. The ringing of his phone stopped him from saying anything else on the subject. "Hey Jerry, what's up?"

"Just checking on you and McNally. Everything okay?" Jerry asked. Sam filled him in on what happened and his friend told him he would help out however he could. "When I get in tomorrow I'll make sure the frame is rushed through forensics so we can see if there are any fingerprints," he said.

"Thanks Jer, that would be great," Sam said before hanging up.

Sam glanced over at Andy, who was already tucked under the covers and yawning. He removed his jeans and shirt and laid down next to her, putting his arm around her as she rolled over and placed her head on his chest. "Glad you trusted your instincts to call me. Will figure out who was here and why," he said.

"I know," she said sleepily.

Sam pulled her close and rubbed circles on her back. He waited until her breathing slowed and he was sure she was asleep before allowing himself to drift off. He couldn't help but think about all the criminals he had locked up over the years and nightmares of revenge filled his head throughout the night.

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><p>In a dark room, lit only by a single flickering light bulb, a man looked at the photo he held and rubbed his thumb over the faces. "It seems our Officer Swarek is quite cozy with this…" He paused to read the name on her uniform. "…Officer McNally."<p>

"Sorry I couldn't get anything else boss, but I didn't realize the woman was there when I broke in."

A smile formed on the man's lips. "Don't worry James. This is wonderful new information, almost as good as locating the apartment. Good work."

James was relieved. He thought he'd have a bullet in his head by now for failing his primary mission, but his boss seemed to have new ideas on how to punish the cop.


	2. Chapter 2

When I finished this chapter I realized there's not a lot of action, but I needed the explanations and background to lay the groundwork for the story. I promise there will be more action in future chapters.

Thank you for all the reviews, favorites and alerts. So glad people are enjoying this story so far! Reviews are like little gifts I get excited to unwrap, so please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

Sam and Andy arrived at the station early the next morning so they could check in with Jerry before parade. A small part of Andy hoped they found nothing but her fingerprints on the frame. Maybe she forgot taking the photo out. It was one of her favorites of the two of them. _Did I take it out to make copies and just forget,_ she wondered. It just seemed like a better explanation than someone being in Sam's apartment.

"Any news on the frame?" Sam asked when they found Jerry sitting in his office.

"Nothing yet. I called my buddy, but the results haven't come back yet. I'll come find you once I have something," Jerry told them.

Sam and Andy thanked him and went to change before parade. When Andy walked into the locker room, Traci ran over to her.

"What the heck happened last night Andy? Dov told me someone broke into Swarek's while you were there! Are you okay?"

"Trace, I'm fine. The more I think about it, the more I think the cold meds got the best of me. It's probably nothing," Andy reassured her friend, even though she didn't quite believe it herself.

Traci thought she was playing down the incident, but was confident Sam would make sure it was fully investigated. Traci waited for Andy to change and they headed to parade together, finding seats next to Chris in the front of the room. Andy glanced back at Sam and they exchanged smiles.

Frank came in, handing out assignments and reminding everyone the temperatures were expected to drop so the roads, wet from the morning's rain, would likely freeze. As he ended with "Serve, protect and stay safe," Jerry walked in the room looking between Frank and Sam. Andy saw the look and stayed in her seat as other officers got up and left. Traci gave her a confused look as she walked out and Andy simply shrugged. Sam stood next to her as Jerry shifted nervously.

"We've got a problem. Frank, Sammy's apartment was broken into last night and I just got the results back on some fingerprints that were found," Jerry said, handing a folder over to Sam.

Andy was confused and looked at Sam as he read whatever was in the file. Frank broke the silence. "And, what did you find?"

Before Jerry could respond, Sam looked up from the file. "The fingerprints belong to James Morrison." He paused and glanced down at Andy before continuing. "He worked for gun and drug trafficker Tony Santino before I locked him up."

The conversation moved to Frank's office, where it was more private. Leaning against the wall of windows, Sam recalled one of his first deep undercover operations. He had been sent in to make friends with the Santino's and learn more about their operation. It was well known they trafficked drugs and guns, but the police could never make it stick. There was another guy undercover, but after six months he was still having trouble making headway, so Sam was sent in.

"It took about six months after I got involved, but Frankie Santino began to trust me and allowed me to become more and more involved. The truth is that Frankie hated the business, but followed his father's orders nonetheless, and I became the friend he complained to. I took advantage of it, offering to help anytime I could so I was able to gather more info," Sam explained. "Another two months later and I had all the information we needed to bust everyone involved. It was supposed to be simple."

Sam sighed, hating what happened next. "Something went wrong with the bust and a gunfight erupted," he said, still blaming himself since his intel led to how the takedown was planned. "One officer died and several were injured along with Santino's men. Three of his men died that night, including his son Frankie."

Before the bust Sam had convinced the Guns and Gangs team to go easy on Frankie because he had a chance of making a good life for himself if he could get out of the family business. They agreed that once he was arrested, they'd make a deal for only a few years in jail.

"Tony Santino made me as a cop at the bust and was convinced I shot his son," Sam continued. "I _know_ I didn't shoot the guy, but the thing is, the bullet was traced back to have come from one of two guns; mine or the other UC."

Sam was convinced the other undercover cop shot Frankie, but he could never prove it. Other cops had tried to make Sam understand it was just self defense, but he questioned that because when he found Frankie, his gun was still tucked into the back of his jeans. He hadn't even pulled it out yet.

As Sam spoke, Jerry remembered being one of the few young officers allowed to be part of the takedown team that day. He had been glad to see his friend come out of the operation alive and congratulated him, but Sam was preoccupied, confused with why the bust hadn't gone perfectly.

Frank thought about everything Sam had said before speaking. He remembered hearing about the bust, but had been working over at 27 Division at the time, so never got all the details. "So, it's looking like this might be revenge. Did Santino know who the other UC cop was?"

"No, he never gave any indication he knew. And the cop's name was kept out of the trial and any paperwork released to the public," Sam stated.

"Well, we should tell him what's going on now, just to be on the safe side," Jerry said, knowing who the other cop was.

"Who is it?" Frank asked.

Sam rubbed a hand across his face before answering. "Callaghan."

Andy had remained silent as she took in everything being said and her eyes widened when she found out Sam and Luke had been undercover together. She never would have guessed Luke had ever done undercover work. Putting that in the back of her mind for the moment, she thought about the charges brought against Tony Santino. "Wouldn't Santino still be in jail?" she asked.

Jerry opened the folder Sam had handed back to him, but he didn't need to read the information again before answering. "Apparently, he was let out early about four months ago, a combination of good behavior and making a deal where he gave up information leading to a big arrest," he said.

Sam cursed under his breath. Not only did Santino have guys working for him again, but he was doing all this from outside a jail cell. "Someone must've been keeping tabs on him these last four months. Let's find out who knows something," he said.

"Unfortunately, someone dropped the ball and Santino disappeared quickly. We have no idea where he is," Jerry stated.

Sam sighed. Couldn't something go their way?

"Okay, let's get all the files on the old UC operation and gather any information we can find on what Santino might be up to now that he's out of jail," Frank said, and looked into the squad room. "Get Peck to help. I'll update Callaghan and instruct him to assist as well."

Frank picked up his phone to call Luke into his office as Sam, Andy and Jerry left. Jerry started catching Peck up on the situation, while Sam and Andy sat down in front of some computers to begin their research. Something didn't make sense to Andy. "I still don't get something," she said, turning to face Sam. "Why would Santino have someone break into your apartment, but then only steal a photo of us?"

Sam couldn't figure that out either, but the photo clearly showed that he and Andy cared about each other, and that worried him. "I don't know. Maybe you scared him off. I hate that he knows who you are Andy. If anything happens to you, it's my fault. He was there for me," he said, grasping her hand in his.

"Sam, don't blame yourself. I'm fine and we'll get this guy," she said smiling.

Jerry started making calls to Guns and Gangs, while Andy and Gail tried to find anything they could on current Santino activities. Sam began pulling up all the UC reports from the operation. They hadn't been at the research long when Luke stormed out of Frank's office and headed straight for Sam. "Way to go Swarek. Not only did you manage to get yourself made during a crucial operation, but you pissed off one of the biggest gun and drug traffickers out there, and now Andy is collateral damage!" he yelled.

Sam took a deep breath before standing toe to toe with the detective. "If _you_ had been able to do your job, I would never have had to be called in to rescue you _and_ the operation," he said calmly, but Andy saw the fire in his eyes.

Before the fists started flying, Andy stepped in between the two men, laying her hand on Sam's chest and pleading him to stay calm with her eyes. When he gave an imperceptible nod, she turned around to speak directly to Luke. "Do _not_ bring me into your fight, Luke. You don't have the right to care about my well-being anymore."

"Whatever…" Luke said, storming away into his office and slamming the door.

"Just ignore him," Andy said, putting her hand on Sam's cheek. He laid his hands on her waist, pulling her close and rested his forehead on hers. He closed his eyes and inhaled her scent, a mix of vanilla and lavender. It was calming for him.

Opening his eyes after a few moments, Sam looked directly into Andy's big brown eyes. "For you, I'd do anything," he said, and Andy knew he meant more than just ignoring her ex-fiancé. As curious as she was about Sam and Luke working together years ago, Andy knew now was not the time to ask about it. She'd wait, but felt the answer might hold an important piece of the puzzle they were trying to solve.

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><p>In a small room inside a warehouse, Santino had gathered several of his men. "The plan has changed. The best payback is to hurt someone he cares about, which is obviously this woman. Follow her, figure out her schedule and come back to me with a plan," he instructed.<p>

"You mean we're not going to kill him now?" one of them shouted.

"Marco, we will get to that, but first we want to make him suffer, like I suffered losing my eldest son and you suffered losing your only brother," Santino said.

Pleased with that, Marco imagined what he would do to the man who ruined his family.

With a wave of his hand, Santino sent his men on their way. They had their orders and did not want to disappoint the boss.

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><p>Back at the station Luke sat at his desk fuming, but he didn't know who he was more mad it. Truthfully, it was himself. If he had trusted himself and just done the job he was asked to do none of this would be happening.<p>

When his phone rang, he sighed before answering, "Callaghan."

"Hello detective, I need another favor…"

Hearing the voice on the other end of the phone, Luke knew his day was just about to get worse.

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><p>After a couple hours of research Sam got up to get coffee and Andy followed him. "What happened when you and Luke were undercover?" she asked quietly. When Sam didn't immediately respond, she continued, "It's obvious something happened. Is it the reason you two can't seem to stand the sight of each other?"<p>

"We had a difference of opinion when it came to how to deal with the case," he said, acting like that explained everything.

She took the cup of coffee Sam held out to her and looked at him, her eyes telling him he wasn't getting off that easy.

"He resented that I was sent in when he wasn't moving quick enough for the team and we disagreed about everything. He fought me on every idea I had," he finally said. "I could never prove anything, but let's just say I didn't trust him, the one person I should have been able to trust completely in that situation."

"It was just the first of many times Callaghan and I didn't see eye to eye in this job," he continued, walking back to his desk.

_That explains a lot,_ Andy thought. She always knew there was something besides her that caused a rift between the two men.

"What did you mean you couldn't prove anything?" she asked as they sat down.

Sam sipped his coffee and sighed. "My gut told me he was lying about something, but I never figured out what," he said. "Thing is, my gut is usually right."

It was true. It was part of what made him such a great cop and an asset to undercover work. Sam's words replayed in her mind and it made Andy wonder what type of cop Luke really was.

Without another word, Sam and Andy got back to their research, looking for any clue that could help them.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for all the alerts, favorites, and especially reviews. They encourage me to keep writing!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue.

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><p><strong>Chapter 3 <strong>

Andy blinked her eyes several times after she read the same sentence for the fifth time and still had no idea what it said. Sighing she sat back in her seat and looked around the parade room. Tables around her were filled with boxes of reports, or rather, the reports that hadn't been tossed freely around the tables yet. Gail sat next to her absorbed in a report, while Sam and Jerry were at the table behind her.

"Getting cross-eyed yet McNally?" Sam teased when he saw her shifting in her seat.

Andy spun around to face him. "We've gone through tons of reports in the few hours we've been sitting here, but have only found two, maybe three, pieces of helpful information," she complained.

He closed his eyes wishing they could be doing something, anything, that would move this along faster, but reviewing old reports and files was the best thing they could be doing right now to get a lead on Santino. "Let's take a break, get some lunch," Sam suggested.

"Did I hear someone say food?" Jerry said, suddenly interested in the conversation. Sam laughed as he and Jerry stood up.

"Wait, guys, I think I found something," Gail said, highlighting a section of the report she was reading. Turning to face the others, she continued, "I've only heard about Santino's son Frankie, but here in the information gathered prior to trial, it talks about another son. It doesn't look like he was arrested or even questioned though."

Sam took the report Gail handed him and read through the highlighted section. "I don't remember another son being involved in the family business. And why wouldn't they have even talked to him when his brother was so deeply involved?" he questioned.

"Okay, new plan. We need to search for any mention of this second son. It's likely Santino would seek out his son when he was released from prison," Jerry said.

"Prisons keep records of visitor's, right? It would make sense that this other son would have visited his father," Andy said, smiling when she saw Sam and Jerry thought she had a great idea. The detective pulled out his phone to see if he could get a copy of Santino's visitor record.

They were going to have to wait for the records to get faxed over, so the group decided to order pizza and take a short break. Sam offered to pick up lunch when Jerry went to update Frank on what they had found.

"Gonna let me drive?" Andy asked, smiling.

"Who said you were coming with me?" Sam quipped.

"You can't stand to be away from me," she teased.

"But at least it gets me some silence," he responded playfully.

When she pouted, he thought he'd won this teasing match and smiled, flashing his dimples. Little did he know she spotted the keys lying on the desk and grabbed them before he saw what she was doing.

"Ha!" she said and walked out to their cruiser. Before she could open the door, Sam caught up with her and boxed her in with his arms against the car. He leaned in so his mouth brushed against her ear. "You're hot when you're annoyed with me," he said before placing a kiss on her earlobe.

His hot breath on her neck sent tingles down her spine and she moved her head to give him a kiss, only to see him pull back quickly. Dangling the keys in front of her, he smiled. "I'm driving."

"Not fair." She couldn't believe he stole the keys right out of her hand while he distracted her.

Sam started the car and looked up to see Andy still standing in the same spot, not having moved a muscle. "It's a car McNally. You sit in it while I drive," he joked. She gave him a look of faux annoyance before getting in the passenger seat.

"I hate you," she huffed.

"Uh huh," he said, not believing her. Glancing over, he saw her fighting back a smile.

While Sam and Andy were off getting lunch, Gail decided to see why Luke, who was supposed to be helping out, was holed up in his office.

"Hey homicide, aren't you supposed to be lending a hand?" she asked, poking her head in his office.

"Yeah, well, I thought it best to put a little space between…" Luke said, trailing off. Gail shrugged and sat on the corner of his desk.

"It's actually pretty fun working on a case like this," she said, playing with a pen she picked up off his desk.

"You have an odd sense of fun, Peck."

Gail rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she said hopping off the desk. "Come join us, ya know, whenever you want to, uh, have some fun and, uh, lend a hand." As Gail walked out the door, Luke wasn't entirely sure there hadn't been a double meaning in those words.

_Well, working this case might not be all bad,_ Callaghan thought.

Meanwhile, Sam couldn't find a place to park outside the pizza place, so he waited in the cruiser while Andy ran in to pick up the food. While Andy waited in line, she kept looking around. She had the same uneasy feeling in her gut she felt the night before when someone had been in the apartment. She tried shaking it off, but it lingered as she paid the cashier and walked back to the cruiser.

Hidden by the darkness of the alley across the street, two men stood and watched as Andy got in the cruiser and laughed at something Sam said. Engrossed in their own conversation, neither officer noticed the men as they followed the cruiser back to the station.

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><p>An hour after they discarded the empty pizza boxes on one of the tables, Sam, Andy, Jerry and Gail were absorbed in the files and reports they were sifting through. Luke decided spending the afternoon with Peck outweighed being annoyed at being in the same room with Sam and went to help with the case.<p>

"Hey," he said, waiting for them to look up from what they were reading. "These came over the fax for you Jerry."

"Thanks Callaghan," Jerry replied, taking a small stack papers from his hand. "Great! These are the prison records we've been waiting for."

"Can I help?" Callaghan asked. Jerry looked around the room and considering World War III hadn't broken out after this morning's incident, he nodded at the homicide detective. He split the stack of papers, handing some to each person in the room.

"Look through these for anyone who might be a member of the Santino family," Jerry instructed. "Make note if you see the wife's name, Theresa, but it's more important to find out who his other son is."

Half an hour had gone by when Andy did a double-take at a name she came across. Quickly she flipped to the previous page, and then back to look at the name again. "Got something there McNally?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

She looked again at the papers in front of her before turning to face the others. "Five years after Tony Santino was sent to jail, he had a visitor who signed in with 'Santino' listed as the last name, but he was smart enough to smear whatever he wrote for the first name."

"And this helps us how?" Gail questioned, looking bored.

Ignoring her, Andy continued. "I figured it was just his wife, but exactly a week later 'Santino' appears again and it's the same handwriting. But," she said, pointing to the two names. "This time there are initials, M.A."

"That's a start, gives us something to go on. Keep looking, see what else we can find," Jerry said.

"M.A…M.A…." Sam muttered under his breath. He searched through the pages he already read. "Here!" he nearly shouted, causing everyone to look at him. "Two years ago a Marco Antonio began regularly visiting Santino. Looks like nearly once a week. He must have dropped his last name in the hopes no one would realize he was a Santino."

Andy smiled at how good she and Sam were when they were working together.

"Looks like we found the son, Mr. Marco Antonio Santino. Now let's see what we have on him in the system," Jerry said, getting up to head to his office. Sam and Andy followed.

Luke sighed, fidgeting with his phone and wishing he never offered to help. He really hated this.

"What's wrong homicide?" Gail asked as she started putting reports back in the boxes.

"Let's see Peck," he said. "I have an old case coming back to bite me in the ass. Doesn't that fall under 'having a bad day'?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, just like having someone steal my uniform and kill someone was a bad day. Get over it," she said.

Luke laughed, he had to give her credit for her bluntness. He began helping her clean up, tossing the pizza boxes in the trash. "So, how would you be acting if you were me?" he asked.

She quirked an eyebrow, hesitating before responding. "First, I'd relax since they don't want to kill you and it's actually Swarek they're after. Then I'd start acting like a cop and help find a lead."

"Fair enough," he said.

"You asked."

"I did," he said, walking to the door and muttering, "I have a call to make," before leaving the room.

* * *

><p>Sam and Andy left the detectives office after Jerry had confirmed Marco Antonio Santino was in fact Tony Santino's son. It appeared he used many fake names to keep people from connecting him to his father. He had stayed clean, or at least out of the view of police, because he had never been arrested. Sam got the feeling this was the quiet before the storm and that Marco had a devious long term plan.<p>

Andy pulled Sam out of his thoughts as they headed to the locker rooms. "So, first thing tomorrow we'll try to track down this Marco Santino." It was more of a statement than question.

Sam stopped in his tracks and it wasn't until he said "no" that Andy turned around and walked back to him. "What do you mean 'no'?" she asked.

"Andy, it's too dangerous. These guys will hurt you to get to me. You're not going anywhere near them," Sam said, as if that was the end of the discussion.

Recognizing they were still in the middle of the squad room, Andy forced herself to stay calm. "I'm a cop Sam, just like you. I'm trained to deal with bad guys," she said, clearly agitated.

"You are a great cop. But you're _my_ girlfriend and I won't let you deal with the people who probably want me dead."

Andy had had enough and threw his words back in his face. "You won't _let_ me? Sam Swarek, you are arrogant and being a total jerk. You don't own me," she said, her voice starting to rise with the last words. Before he could respond, she stomped off toward the women's locker room.

He followed her, wondering if he should let her cool off before talking to her again. She opened the door to the locker room and paused, looking back at Sam. "One more thing," she said, poking him in the chest. "Don't bother waiting for me. I'm going home with Traci tonight." And with that, she slammed the door in his face.

What the hell was she mad about? All he wanted to do was protect her when he was the one being targeted. _This is going to be a long night,_ Sam thought.

A short time later, Andy stormed out the door of the station. She hadn't seen Traci in the locker room and hoped she could still catch her, but didn't see her car anywhere. Oh well, maybe she'd burn off some of her anger walking to Traci's apartment. She pulled her coat tight around her and headed down the street. What the hell was Sam thinking, telling her she wasn't allowed to do something? She wanted to have his back just like he always had hers. That's what partners do.

After a couple blocks, Andy began looking behind her. She saw nothing, but had that uneasy feeling in her gut that she was getting sick of. _C'mon Andy, you're a cop, you're not supposed to be jumping at shadows,_ she thought, giving herself a pep talk.

She was so absorbed with trying not to feel uneasy, she didn't notice the man standing on the sidewalk until she almost tripped over him. Startled, she stumbled backward and dropped her bag.

"Excuse me Miss, I seem to be a bit lost. Could you help me?" he said.

Andy's gut kept telling her something wasn't right and she knew she had to get away from this man. _It's only two blocks back to the station. I can totally outrun this guy,_ she thought. As she went to turn around, her foot slid on a patch of ice and unable to get her balance she hit the sidewalk with the thud. Hitting her head when she went down she began seeing stars. Andy tried to sit up, but a hand with a white cloth covered her mouth and nose. She heard a muffled voice say, "Call the boss. Tell him we've got her," before the world went black.


	4. Chapter 4

Since we're starting to get a bit more into how Luke is involved in this whole thing, I just have to mention….Even though I'm 100% pro McSwarek, I don't completely hate Luke (just hate him with Andy), but his part in this story just sort of wrote itself.

Thank you again for all the reviews, alerts and favorites. It makes my day!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

Sam paced back and forth alongside his truck and hit buttons on his phone for the fifth time in as many minutes. All he heard was ringing until her voicemail picked up again. _You've reached Andy, leave a message!_ So, maybe he had been a little overprotective, and he probably shouldn't have said he wasn't going to _let_ her do something, but that doesn't mean she should ignore his calls. Frustrated, and now freezing, he got in his truck and blasted the heat. He pulled out his phone again, scrolling through his contacts to find the person he was looking for. _Nash, please tell Andy to call me. I need to speak to her,_ he texted.

He drummed his hands on the steering wheel waiting for his phone to ring. He hoped he could convince her to see him so he could apologize and bring her back to his place tonight. His apartment felt empty when she wasn't there. Without speaking about it, they had fallen into a comfortable routine and when they left the station after shift, he had stopped asking if she wanted to come to his place. It was just natural for them to go home together, cook dinner and relax. He hated the thought of going home alone tonight.

When his phone beeped instead of ringing he frowned and read the message. _She's not with me Sam. Sorry._

He dialed Traci's number, jumping out of his car and running back into the station as he waited for her to pick up. "What do you mean Andy's not with you?" he demanded when Traci answered.

"I left the station before her, I assumed she was going home with you like usual," she replied. "What's wrong?"

"Nash, we had a fight and she said she was staying with you tonight. But that was nearly an hour ago. Shit!" He saw Frank still in his office and while running up to it, he unintentionally hung up on Traci, who was left wondering what was going on.

Not bothering to knock, Sam burst into Frank's office. "McNally's missing!" He explained what little he knew about the situation and Frank got on the phone, calling everyone back to the station.

Less than an hour later, dozens of officers and detectives filled the parade room. Traci, Dov, Chris and Gail sat at the front of the room nervously fidgeting and wanting to get out on the streets looking for their friend.

Frank briefed everyone on what they knew. One of their own was missing and likely kidnapped by Santino. He summarized what they knew about the criminal and the route Andy would have taken if she had walked to Traci's, as Sam believed she did.

Sam was out of his seat and heading to his cruiser the moment after Frank finished. He ignored calls from his friends to wait up. He had to find her, he just had to. _This is all my fault,_ he thought.

Traci, Gail, Dov and Chris were tasked with checking out two buildings it was believed Santino owned, while Jerry and Oliver headed out to talk to some informants that might know something.

Looking up as the door to the station opened, Frank saw a pregnant Noelle. "What are you doing here? The doctor wanted you to stay home this week so you didn't risk getting sick with this flu going around," he said, walking over to her.

"One of our own is missing. McNally is missing. And you expect me to stay home? Look, I can man the phones. It's easy and I'll avoid contact with anyone who is sick. And whoever is dealing with the phones now can go out on the streets looking for her," she stated, obviously refusing to debate the issue.

Not saying another word, he moved aside so she could make her way to the front desk.

* * *

><p>Andy woke up feeling like she had been hit by a truck and quickly realized she couldn't move her hands. Blinking rapidly to try and focus her eyes, she shook her head trying to rid herself of the groggy feeling. She saw that her wrists and ankles were tied tightly to the chair she was sitting in, and when she went to lick her lips noticed there was duct tape over her mouth. And her back hurt like crazy. Then she remembered slipping on ice, and hitting her back and head.<em> But how did I get here? <em>she wondered. _Wait, there was a man, no two men, and when I fell they put something over my mouth. Must've been chloroform to knock me out. _

It was all flooding back to her now and she realized it must have been Santino's men who took her. For the first time since waking up, she looked around the room trying to figure out where she was. It was dark, but a small window on the wall behind her was letting in the moonlight. There was a table in the corner near the door and another chair against the far concrete wall. She guessed she was in some type of warehouse, but couldn't see anything outside to figure out where the building might be.

She struggled against the ties on her wrists but they wouldn't budge. Then she tried slipping her hand through, but the rope was too tight. She pushed and pulled with all the strength she had, trying to break the arms of the wooden chair, but that didn't work either. _Ugh, I'm a cop, I should be able to figure a way out of here_, she thought.

Andy hoped Sam wasn't still mad after their fight. _I need him to find me_, she thought as a tear rolled down her cheek. _He's always there to save me, always there when it matters._

Outside the door of the room where Andy sat tied up, Santino sat with Marco, James and two other men discussing what to do with her.

"We need her alive…for now. But we need to give Swarek an incentive. Remember, she's the bread crumbs leading him to us," Santino said. He looked over to James before continuing, "She's all yours, a reward for your good work of late."

James' mouth widened into an evil grin as he left the table and entered the next room. "Hello Officer McNally."

He walked over and slapped her hard across the left side of her face causing her to bite her lip and she could taste blood. Not expecting to be hit without provoking him first, she was truly shocked and a whimper escaped her throat before she could stop it.

James circled her chair contemplating what to do next. Resting his hands on her legs and leaning down, she saw the evilness in his eyes as he spoke. "You're a pretty little thing and normally I'd hate to, well, damage that, but you made friends with the wrong guy."

As a cop, she knew she should be able to see things coming, but for the second time in mere minutes she felt blind to James' actions. Quickly lifting one hand from her leg, he punched her in the stomach, leaving her doubled over in pain. She fought back tears as she heard him laugh.

* * *

><p>Sam sat in the locker room, his head in his hands. He didn't know what to do. He found Andy's bag lying on the sidewalk two blocks from the station, but no sign of where she had been taken. He interviewed residents in the area, but they claimed to have seen nothing. He, along with half the division, had searched all night and he only headed back to the station when the sun began to rise. No one had any leads.<p>

"Santino's buildings were empty. We searched every inch of them," Chris told Sam and got a grunt in response. "Detective Barber's in interrogation now with an informant he thinks might have some information, but we're pretty sure he's stoned, so it might be a while before we get anything."

_Tony and Marco Santino are ghosts,_ Sam thought. _How is it possible they've covered their tracks so well?_

Oliver walked into the locker room and found his friend. He nodded at Chris, who took that as his cue to leave. If Chris had to admit it, he was a bit scared when Sam got this way and was glad to get out of the line of fire.

"When was the last time you slept? Go home for a bit, Sammy," Oliver said, sitting next to him on the bench.

"Do. Not. Tell me to go home," he said, and Oliver could see the fire in his eyes.

Oliver held up his hands in defeat and slowly got up. He saw Andy like a daughter and knew many other officers thought of her as a sister or great friend. "We all love her buddy, she's like family to all of us, not just you. You're going to be of no help to her if you don't get some sleep," he said walking out of the locker room.

_Great,_ Sam thought. _Now I've bitten the head off my friend _and _girlfriend today. _"Maybe Ollie's right," he muttered to himself. Sam heard his phone beep and prayed it was good news. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw he had a new picture text. He rushed to the garbage can and puked when he opened the photo. It was Andy, his sweet Andy, covered in blood and bruises and tied to a chair. Sam wasn't a man who cried, but he suddenly found his eyes very wet. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath before going out to show everyone this new piece of information.

It caused a bustle of activity. Dov went to work blowing up the photo so they could analyze the background to see if there was any indication where Andy was being held. Chris traced the phone number, quickly finding it was simply a prepaid phone and was likely already tossed in the trash somewhere. Nonetheless, Traci was helping Jerry get phone records and checking to see if it had a GPS tracker on it.

Luke sat in an empty parade room staring at a blown up version of the photo Sam had received. _What have I done?_ he wondered. He had given Santino information about the investigation, the fact they knew about Marco, but he said nothing about Andy. How had he found her? She may not be his fiancé anymore, but he still loved her. He knew what he had to do. He reluctantly walked out of the room and saw Jerry and Sam in Frank's office. He saw Sam look at his phone and before Luke could reach the office, Sam walked out.

Sam mumbled something to Frank and Jerry about having to take the call before walking out of the office. He answered and immediately recognized the voice on the other end. "How are we doing today Officer Swarek?" Santino laughed into the phone.

"Where the hell is she?" Sam demanded.

"Calm down or you'll never see her again," Santino warned. "Meet my driver where Officer McNally disappeared and she will be returned to you. And come alone," he added before hanging up.

Sam stood at the door of the station staring at his phone. What he was about to do was stupid. He knew it was stupid. But he couldn't risk Andy's life and if Santino said to come alone, he meant it. Anyway, getting a cover team together would take too long. Time Andy might not have.

Noelle hung up the phone and looked up to see Sam standing nervously near the door. "Sam? Where are you going?" she asked with concern in her voice.

He hated lying to his friends, but he couldn't tell her. "I just need some air, uh, to clear my head," he said, walking out the door and jogging down the street.

Halfway there he realized he didn't have his uniform on, which meant no vest and only a gun strapped to his side. Yup, another stupid move. Sam slowed to a walk as he approached the area where he had found Andy's bag. He looked around, but saw nothing. No one, no car, nothing, and he became impatient.

Sam was distracted thinking about Andy and how she was hurt when he heard the click of a gun behind his head. Before he could put a hand on his own gun, it was pulled from its holster by whoever was standing behind him.

An SUV pulled up to the curb and a man got out of the car. It wasn't Santino, but he looked familiar and Sam couldn't place where he'd seen the man before.

"Tie him up and get him in the car." Normally, Sam didn't willfully allow criminals to tie him up, but he knew he had to do what they said until they took him to Andy. If he didn't, who knew what would happen to her.

Sam was blindfolded once in the car and had no clue where they were taking him, but he figured it was about 30 minutes later before the vehicle came to a stop and he was dragged out of the car. His blindfold was taken off seconds before he felt a fist hit his jaw and was knocked to the ground. Okay, maybe he was going along with their plan a little too well.

Sam gritted his teeth and looked up at Santino. "Nice to see you too man."


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for the continued interest in this story, and for all the reviews, alerts and favorites! Hope you all enjoy this next chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

Andy hurt all over. She had a black eye, the side of her face was stained with dried blood and one of her cheeks was bruised and swollen. The duct tape had been removed from her mouth, and she was thankful the cut on her lip stopped bleeding. The rest of her body ached, but most especially her ribs and stomach where she had been punched repeatedly.

She didn't know exactly how long she'd been in the warehouse, but figured it must have been hours since she now saw sunlight coming through the small window. When she heard commotion in the next room, Andy tensed, which made her groan as she was reminded again of all the places she hurt.

The door to the room swung open and Andy felt a mixture of relief and sadness when she saw Sam standing in front of her. "Sam," she tried speaking, but it came out as a sigh.

"Andy!" He took two steps toward her, before he was grabbed and thrown into a chair that was placed in front of Andy. Sam fought as his hands were tied to the chair along with his feet.

"Enjoy your last moments together," Santino said before slamming the door shut. They could hear his evil laugh through the door.

"Oh my god, Andy, what did they do to you? I'm so sorry," Sam said, taking in her appearance. He would kill anyone who had a hand in hurting her like this.

"I'm fine, Sam," she lied, which only got her Sam's I-know-your-not-fine look she'd seen many times. "Okay, it hurts like hell. How are we going to get out of here?" she asked, changing the subject.

"I don't know. I don't know." He wanted to look around the room, but all he could do was stare at Andy's face. Thankful she was still alive, he wanted to touch her, heal whatever was hurt and feel her breath on his skin.

"Look, I was meeting with Frank and Jerry before I came to find you, and Noelle saw me leave. They'll realize I've gone missing and find us. Don't worry," he said comforting her. Conflicted on whether or not he could handle knowing the answer to a question on his mind, he asked it anyway. "Where exactly are you hurt?"

She recognized the look on his face and knew he'd keep asking until she answered. She took a deep breath. "The left side of my face and where I cut my lip," she said, absentmindedly licking her lip. "And my abdomen and back. I slipped on ice trying to get away from the creeps and landed on my back hard."

"I'm sorry. This is all because of me."

Andy shook her head. "Sam, stop saying you're sorry. You did not put these bruises on my face. You did not tie me to this chair."

He was still sorry, sorry that she had to go through any of this because of him.

Sam looked around the room. Even if they could get themselves out of these chairs, the only way out was through the one door in the room which led directly to whoever was standing guard with guns. _Great, just great_, he thought.

Andy yawned. She was so tired. It had been more than 24 hours since she last slept and all she wanted to do was close her eyes.

"Andy, stay with me, stay awake. I need you alert if we have a chance to escape," Sam said.

Andy nodding, knowing he was right. But there was also a chance they'd never escape and she suddenly wanted to tell him something in case they didn't make it. "Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"I, uh, I…" she sighed and shook her head. "Nothing, never mind." _Here, in a dark warehouse where we are being held captive, isn't the best time to say I love you for the first time, _she thought. _We'll get out of here. I'll have time to tell him later._

* * *

><p>Back at the station, Luke made his way into Frank's office knowing what he had to do. He glanced at Frank, then Jerry, before slumping down in an empty chair and beginning his confession. "I've been feeding Santino information," he said, pausing briefly as he saw the look of shock on both of his friend's faces. "Ever since I worked the undercover operation that took him down."<p>

Frank and Jerry were speechless and let Luke explain.

_~Flashback~_

_He'd only been undercover for a month and Luke found himself tied to a chair with blood running down his face. He wasn't cut out for this. Being on the streets, investigating criminals, that's where he excelled. But he'd been thrown into this assignment because his sergeant thought he was ready. Well, he wasn't and now he'd been made. When the door opened and Tony Santino walked through, he knew he'd do _anything_ to get out of there alive._

_It was easy to agree to Santino's deal. He'd keep his life, make a little extra money and feed bad intel to the cops. He figured his superiors would determine he sucked at undercover work and pull him, and this nightmare would quickly be over. But no, five months later they had to send in Sam Swarek, the freakin' golden bad boy of 15 Division, to help him. Luke would never give up a cop though, so Santino never knew he had another mixed in with his team and when the cops started making progress on his operations he fully blamed Luke._

_Luke laid low for a while, but just before the bust he came up with an idea. If a fight erupted and guns were drawn, it would be easy to kill Tony and Frankie – the only two who knew he was a cop – and then there was no risk they could name him to his colleagues. Sam had helped create a perfect plan that would likely prevent casualties, but the morning of the bust Luke tipped Santino off – not to the entire takedown plan, but just enough to cause chaos. He thought he was home free and could put this horrible nightmare behind him, but he was wrong._

_Unfortunately, the bust didn't go as he envisioned. Yes, he had killed Frankie, but another cop managed to get Tony in cuffs before he could shoot him. Late that night back at the station, Luke had been watching a detective question Santino. He wasn't saying much, but Luke was nervous. If Santino ratted him out, his career was over. He couldn't let that happen._

_The detective left Santino, stopping to ask Luke to watch the suspect for a few minutes. He waited until the detective was out of sight, then turned off the camera for the interrogation room and went to make a deal with the devil._

"_I wondered when you'd come begging me not to give up your name," Santino said as Luke closed the door._

"_Look, this is my life. I've never wanted to be anything but a cop. Please," Luke pleaded._

_Santino looked down at his cuffed hands contemplating. He knew this cop was young and wouldn't have any say in making deals, and thought about how else he could be beneficial. "There is something," he said, looking up at Luke. "It would be helpful to have someone on the inside that could provide me with certain information as it became necessary. You could be that person."_

_Luke nodded vigorously. "Sure, whatever. I'll be that person. Just keep your mouth shut."_

"_Understand, the moment you refuse a request at anytime…well, you know what will happen," Santino threatened._

_Luke gave an imperceptible nod before walking out of the room and turning the camera back on._

_~End Flashback~_

Frank couldn't believe what his detective was telling him. How had no one figured it out all these years?

"And I'm the reason Santino was released," Luke stated.

"But how, he made a legit deal, giving up another criminal," Jerry asked.

"He got the information he used in that deal from me," he said, looking at the floor. "But look, I didn't give Santino information about McNally or Swarek. I leaked as little as I could about the investigation, and nothing about them."

Frank shook his head. "I don't even know where to begin. You have put a lot of people in danger. For now, you stay here, in my office," he said standing and opening his door. "Diaz, my office!" he yelled down to the squad room.

When Chris entered, Frank continued, "Diaz, I need you to stay here with Detective Callaghan. He is not allowed to leave the room or make any phone calls. Detective, I'm trusting you will abide by these rules."

Chris was confused, but did what he was told. He sat down next to Luke as Frank and Jerry left the room to decide their next move. "So, you're in the doghouse, huh?"

"Shut up, Diaz," Luke said before putting his head in his hands.

Jerry dialed Sam's number as he left the office, but it went right to voicemail. "Sammy's not picking up Frank. I'm worried he's done something stupid."

Noelle saw Frank leave his office and called over to him. Noelle grabbed another officer to cover the phones while she went to talk to Frank and Jerry. "Sammy was acting a bit off and said he needed some air, but when I went to check on him he wasn't out there," she explained.

Frank and Jerry shook their heads. They knew Sam was either up to no good or had gotten himself into trouble.

"Alright, let's assume he's gotten himself kidnapped along with McNally. How do we find them?" Frank wondered. "It's going to take too long to track down Marco and we don't even know that his father will be with him."

Jerry thought for a moment before an idea came to him. "Let Callaghan call Santino," he said with renewed hope.

"What?"

"Let Luke call Santino, tell him he has to see him, has important info he can't give him over the phone. If we're lucky, he invites him to wherever they're holding Sammy and McNally. If not, we have a cover team follow Santino after the meeting," Jerry said.

Frank thought about it and realized it could work. "Shaw, Epstein, Peck, Nash. My office, now," he yelled, knowing they'd need more officers for their plan.

* * *

><p>Sam shimmied his chair closer to Andy so their knees were touching. "Andy?" He nudged her knee when she didn't respond. "Andy, look at me," he said, waiting for her eyes to meet his. When she lifted her head, he continued, "You have to stay strong. No matter what happens, we will get through this. Our friends will find us."<p>

She forced a smile, but her eyes showed the sadness she wouldn't vocalize. All she wanted was to be wrapped in Sam's arms right now. Instead, she found some comfort in rubbing her knee against his. Sam felt Andy stiffen when he heard the door behind him open. His chair was dragged across the room and soon Marco was standing in front of him.

It was then that Sam realized why the man looked so familiar. He was older now, but Sam remembered his face. The face of a little boy crouched in a corner at the back of one of Santino's restaurants. _His undercover alter ego was meeting with Tony Santino, but the conversation had moved past plans for the next gun shipment and Sam was getting bored. His eyes wandered and saw this sad little boy who looked like he was hiding from the world. "Marco Antonio Santino, get your butt in here right now!" his mother bellowed from a back room. He obeyed his mother and Sam knew she was scolding him, but only caught a few words. Something about going through his father's important papers and how his brother was the only one allowed in their father's office. It was obvious Frankie was the favorite child and the one Tony wanted to take over the family business. Sam felt sorry for Marco, a young boy who probably only wanted to please his father. _He couldn't believe he had forgotten about Marco.

Sam was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt a punch to the stomach. "You followed in your father's footsteps, didn't you…Marco," Sam grunted.

"I wondered when you'd recognize me. You'd meet with my father and look at me with pity in your eyes. I hated that. I hated you," Marco said with evil in his eyes.

"You were a young boy, of course I pitied the fact you were being brought up in a family of criminals," Sam said.

The only response he got was another punch, this time to his face. Sam rolled his neck from side to side to take away the sting. "So, why are we here Marco?" he asked.

"You deserve to die for the hurt you caused my family. You took my only brother, the favorite child," he spit out as he landed another punch. "My mother became a shell of herself. I had no one, but a father you put in jail. Frankie was too nice to you. He should've realized what a rat you were and killed you back then."

"It's me you want. Andy has nothing to do with this. Just let her go," Sam pleaded. Marco just laughed, an evil cackle that sent waves of terror through Sam.

Andy bit back a sob as she watched Sam take punch after punch. She tried freeing her hands from the ropes again, but all she accomplished was drawing blood when the rope continued to rub against her skin.

Not wanting to bring Marco's attention to Andy, Sam fought to not look over at her. When Marco eventually left the room, Sam realized the ropes on his ankles had loosened during the one-sided fight. If he shifted this way a little and then that way, and tilted back in the chair a bit, just maybe…yes! He slipped one rope off the leg of the chair and then the second. _Now we're getting somewhere_, he thought.

* * *

><p>Traci stood in Frank's office in shock over what her sergeant was telling them. Chris looked with disgust at the man slumped in his chair and Dov wanted to punch the guy in the face. He even took a step toward the detective before Oliver gave him a look that stopped him. Silence took over the office while Frank let his officers digest what he had just told them.<p>

"Shaw, I want you to take lead once we get the location of Swarek and McNally. Take Epstein, Diaz and Nash to prep," Frank said with a wave of his hand, and Oliver left the office with the three rookies trailing behind him. "Jerry, Peck, you know the most about this case, so I want you involved with Callaghan's call to Santino and you'll be his cover team." With that Frank left his own office to make some calls to his superiors.

Half an hour later, Luke had made the call and the plan was set for him to meet Santino in a park on the south side of the city. As they got in the cover van, Jerry noticed Luke fidgeting and sweating.

"Luke, calm down. Santino's going to know something is off the moment he lays eyes on you," Jerry scolded.

"I can't stop imaging what's happening to Andy. I never meant for any of this," he said.

Realizing Luke was not going to relax, Jerry decided the current plan wasn't going to work. "Alright, I'm changing the plan. Once we see Santino arrive, you're calling him to say you have to cancel," he said.

"Won't that make him suspicious?" Gail asked.

"Tell him something like you couldn't get out of the station without being noticed or you thought someone was trailing you and turned around," he told Luke. "We'll have to hope he has too much else on his mind to be suspicious."

"And when he leaves, we'll tail him to wherever he's hiding out?" Gail asked, confirming the plan.

Jerry nodded in agreement and they headed to the meeting point.


	6. Chapter 6

I'm sorry this chapter is shorter than the others, but none of what I have planned for the next chapter fits well here. But, the good news is the next chapter is twice as long and is pretty much finished, so I promise to post it this weekend. :)

Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

Jerry pulled the cover van to the curb near the edge of the park where the meeting with Santino was scheduled to take place. It was a sunny day, giving them a clear view of the entire park. Gail was already surveying the area out the tinted windows when Jerry climbed in back to join her and Luke.

"Everything looks good, nothing out of the ordinary," Gail reported.

"We still have 30 minutes, so sit tight and keep an eye out for Santino or his men," Jerry responded.

This was the boring part, the sitting and waiting for something to happen. Gail kept her eyes out the window, searching the area for anything suspicious.

Luke sat uncomfortably, trying not to look at the others in the van. The coffee in the cup he nervously transferred from hand to hand had long since gone cold, but he needed to hold onto something.

About five minutes before the scheduled meet, something caught Gail's eye.

"Sir, we have a black SUV pulling up across the street from the meeting point," she pointed out. "I can't tell how many occupants are in the vehicle."

Jerry joined her near the window to see the vehicle that was about half a block away from them and picked up his radio. "We have the target in view. We'll be making contact shortly," he said.

"Copy that."

Luke picked up his phone, but Jerry stopped him. "No, not yet. He's early. If we call him now, he might suspect something or know we're watching him. Give it a few minutes," Jerry said.

Having put the coffee cup down, Luke now fidgeted with his phone waiting for the okay to make the call.

"Sir, we have two men exiting the vehicle. I can confirm one is Santino. He looks annoyed," Gail reported.

Jerry looked at his watch noticing a few minutes had passed and nodded at Luke, telling him to make the call. Pressing the speakerphone button, he dialed the criminal's number.

"Where the hell are you?" Santino asked gruffly.

"Look man, I can't get there. I got stuck on a case. It'll look suspicious if I get up and leave now," he replied.

"You're the one who called this meeting," Santino said, obviously annoyed. "You don't cancel on me, you don't waste my time, understand that!"

"Sorry man, really. I'll call you when I know I can get free to give you the latest information I have," Luke bluffed.

They heard Santino curse under his breath. "And why can't you give it to me over the phone?" he asked.

"It's, uh, it's photos and images I think you'd want to see," Luke replied.

Gail watched the two men head back to the SUV. Jerry saw her give a thumbs up and motioned to Luke to wrap up.

"Look man, I've gotta go," he said, whispering as if trying to hide from someone. "It's not safe to talk right now, too many people around."

"Fine. Don't jerk me around again," Santino said, and they heard a door slam shut before the call ended.

"Good job," Jerry said to Luke as he climbed into the front seat, followed by Gail. "Radio this in."

"The target is leaving the park. We are following and will update our location," Gail spoke into the radio.

"Copy that. Waiting on further instructions," Oliver responded as he waited with the rest of the team ready to search for their missing friends.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry," Andy said, breaking through the silence that had engulfed the room.<p>

Sam stared at her, confused. "You know, for running off last night. And, uh, being pissed that you were just trying to be protective," she said, referring to their fight the previous night.

"No, _I'm_ sorry. You're not a piece of property. It's not my place to _let_ you do something. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did," he said. The sorrow in his eyes spoke volumes. He wanted to protect her, but he went about it the wrong way. _And look at what my overprotective nature got her, trapped and tortured in a warehouse,_ he thought. _Yeah, great way to protect her._

Andy knew he was blaming himself. He always did, even when she was completely at fault for whatever danger she got herself into. She didn't want him blaming himself. "I should have listened to you," she said.

Sam quirked his eyebrow. "You'll have to be a little more specific McNally. I could fill a book with the times you _should have_ listened to me. You know, like that first day when you tackled me and ignored me telling you I was on the job," he teased.

Andy rolled her eyes and groaned. "You are _never_ going to let me live that down, are you?" she asked.

Seeing her smile briefly, Sam was happy to take her mind off where they were for at least a moment. "Nope. Now, like I said, be more specific," he said, prompting her to continue.

"When you told me to trust my gut," she said, and her smile was replaced by a frown. "Last night, when I left the station, I had this feeling that someone was watching me. But when I looked around no one was there and I ignored that inner voice."

She looked down at the floor and took a deep breath before continuing. "If I had listened, we wouldn't be here right now." She began mumbling to herself and Sam could only imagine she was beating herself up.

"Of course you should listen to your awesome partner and former TO…who is _always _right," he said, and heard her mumbling stop, only to be replaced by a snort. "So, this is your lesson to listen and do everything I say _all_ the time," he said smiling.

Andy rolled her eyes. She knew Sam was trying to make her feel better, and truthfully he was. But she was still mad at herself, wondering if she could have prevented all this.

* * *

><p>"When are they going to update us? Shouldn't they have gotten to where they're going already," Dov said impatiently. He stood in the station with Chris, Traci and Oliver waiting for their next move.<p>

"Dov, they'll report in as soon as they think it's safe to send in backup," Traci assured her friend. "They call us in too early and the operation could fail."

"Traci's right. Once they have solid info, they'll call us in," Chris said.

As if on cue, their radios came alive with Jerry's voice. "The target exited the highway into the warehouse district. We lost them when we had to pull back to avoid being seen. Send all units to our location. Silence sirens on approach."

In the van, Jerry looked over at Gail. "Keep an eye out. We need to search the lots of these warehouses for the SUV we saw at the meet," he said.

Turning around to face Luke, he said, "I'm going to need your phone. And you're gonna have to stay in the van when we find the warehouse. Sorry man."

Luke handed over his phone and looked out the back windows, figuring the least he could do right now was help search for the SUV.

While the three of them covertly searched one lot after another, dozens of officers were on their way to the warehouse district, including Oliver, Traci, Dov and Chris.

"There!" Gail shouted when she saw the familiar SUV. It was joined by ten other cars outside a rundown warehouse that had likely been condemned years ago.

Jerry relayed the address to the officers on the way and parked the van behind some trees so they remained hidden. Realizing they were outnumbered at the moment, he crafted a plan to enter the building once backup arrived.

Oliver was going as fast as his cruiser would take him and prayed they would find Sam and Andy safe when they got to the warehouse. Nearing the location, he radioed Jerry. "We're two minutes out."


	7. Chapter 7

I have to admit, this might be one of my favorite chapters so far. I hope you all enjoy it!

Thanks for reading and please review if you get a chance. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7 <strong>

Sam was trying to decide how he could use his legs, which were now free from the ropes, to save himself and Andy, when Marco burst through the door waving a gun around. "It's time," he said, walking over to Sam. Before he could raise his gun, Sam kicked his legs out and hit Marco in the knees causing him to stumble back and drop the gun. As Sam stood up with the chair still tied to his arms and resting on his back, Marco flung his body full force against him, causing Sam to fall back against the concrete wall. The force broke the chair apart, which worked in Sam's favor. Although his one wrist was still tied to what was now just a piece of wood, it left his one arm free.

Andy watched the two men fight, not able to do anything to help Sam. She winced when Marco threw him against the concrete wall again, but somehow Sam gained the upper hand. Soon Marco was lying on the floor unconscious. Sam untied the rope from his wrists, grabbed the gun off the floor and ran over to Andy. Crouching in front of her, he began to untie her wrists and ankles.

"Sam." His name came out of her mouth in a whisper, but her eyes carried a warning. He turned around to see Tony Santino standing just inside the door. Sam raised his gun until it was pointed at the man's chest and shielded Andy with his body before speaking. "We've done this dance before Santino," he said, noticing the other man also held a gun, but still had it pointed at the floor. "Drop the gun, turn around and put your hands behind your back. You're under arrest."

Sam hadn't thought about what he'd use to cuff the man since he had no handcuffs, but it didn't matter. Andy would remember later that it all seemed to happen in an instant. Santino's hand went up and she closed her eyes before hearing one, two, three shots fired. She only opened them when she heard a thud. Santino was lying on the concrete with two bullet wounds to the chest. She was pretty sure he was dead.

Sam crouched down in front of Andy again and finished untying her. She studied his expressionless face, and even his normally telling eyes were silent. She had no idea all his thoughts were centered on what could have happened to her and it was taking everything in his power not to break down at that moment. Staying focused on getting them out of there alive was the only thing preventing him from cracking.

"Are you okay to walk out of here?" Sam asked, knowing he had to get them out before any of Santino's men realized what happened. Andy nodded, "Just get us out of here, Sam." She stood gingerly and when she put a hand on Sam's arm, she felt it was moist and sticky. Pulling her hand back, she saw blood dripping down his arm.

"Sam! You've been shot!"

He looked down at his arm. "It's nothing, just a flesh wound," he said. Since no one had rushed through the open door upon hearing the gun shots, Sam figured no one was in the adjacent room. He had one hand at the small of Andy's back, quenching his need to touch her, while his other held Marco's gun. Slowly and carefully, he led them down a hallway he thought would bring them to an exit. He heard muted voices at the other end of the long hallway and assumed it was Santino's men.

"Should we go pick up the bodies?" Sam heard one voice ask.

"No, the boss said he'd come get us when he was ready for us to take out the garbage. He wanted to savor the moment first," another man said.

Sam figured they had a few minutes before the men realized their boss was dead. Guiding Andy to the end of the hallway, he realized it opened up into a large room. He saw a large garage door, but feared that would make too much noise so he looked around the room until Andy pointed to a door on the far wall.

Feet away from the exit, the door swung open and they saw Oliver running in, followed by Dov, Traci, Chris, Jerry and Gail. They stopped when they saw their friends and Oliver spoke into his radio, "I have Swarek and McNally, send the medics." Andy heard the radio spring to life with voices she assumed were calling out orders, but she couldn't hear any of it. She saw relief in the faces of her friends and Traci was saying something, but Andy just saw her lips moving. All she could hear was the footsteps of dozens of other cops running into the building to search and secure it.

"The Santino's are in a room back that way and the others are further down the hall," Sam said, pointing in the direction he and Andy had just come from. When Oliver nodded in understanding, Sam guided Andy out the door.

They were quickly met by the paramedics, who ushered them toward a nearby ambulance. Reaching the ambulance, Sam insisted Andy be placed on the gurney. She protested, claiming his injuries were worse, but the look on Sam's face told her it was no use arguing. She laid down on the gurney as he took a seat on the small bench on the wall of the ambulance.

"We should be at the hospital in about 10 minutes," one of the paramedics said as they pulled out of the parking lot.

Andy reached out, grasping Sam's hand in hers. Sam leaned in close and gently pressed his lips against hers. She winced at the pain from her cut lip, but was relieved she was still alive to feel it. They rode to the hospital in relative silence, with Andy still squeezing onto Sam's left hand, while his right caressed the top of her head. He was disappointed with himself, for not being able to protect the woman he loved. He wanted to say those three little words to her, but he knew in the heat of the moment after being rescued was not the right time. But he'd tell her soon, very soon.

Sam had almost forgotten about his own pain while he focused on Andy, but as the ambulance arrived at the hospital he realized how sore his ribs and face were. _It hurts like hell,_ he thought. He imagined many bruises had yet to show.

* * *

><p>Back at the warehouse, dozens of cops had raided it, and being significantly out-numbered, Santino's guys had surrendered without a shot being fired. Marco was just coming too when Oliver and Dov found him lying on the floor. They handcuffed him before he knew what was going on, and Chris confirmed the elder Santino was dead.<p>

Frank had heard all the updates over the radio and surveyed the scene when he arrived. All the arrested individuals were being placed in cruisers, as officers were combing through the building for evidence. He was relieved to see everything under control.

When Dov and Traci pleaded with him to let them check on Andy and Sam, he relented knowing everyone back at the station would want an update later. As they headed out, he called Gail and Chris over.

"I need you two to take Callaghan back to the station and place him in a holding cell. No one is to talk to him until I get back," he instructed.

"Yes, Sir," they responded and left to retrieve Luke from the van.

Frank wanted to check in with Jerry before he left the scene, but was told the detective headed back to the station and was making a quick stop at the hospital on the way. He silently thanked the heavens his officers were okay and took a deep breath, knowing things could have gone much worse. Frank waited until all the suspects arrested were taken from the scene and on their way to the station before heading back himself.

* * *

><p>Inside the ER, Sam and Andy were placed in beds next to each other and had several doctors and nurses poking and prodding them both. As a nurse cleaned the blood off of her face, Andy glanced over to see someone bandaging Sam's arm. She was sure he would need surgery for the bullet wound and stared curiously until Sam saw her looking and nodded toward his arm. "Bullet went through so I just needed a few stitches," he said.<p>

Andy smiled, leaning back against the pillow, and closed her eyes while the nurse continued to work on her. There were so many things she wanted to tell Sam, but she was so tired.

When it was determined neither would need surgery, someone brought over sandwiches and bottles of water. Andy had forgotten how hungry and thirsty she'd been, and was relieved when the food was placed in front of her. She was inhaling the last bite of sandwich when a doctor walked between their beds.

"Officers McNally, Swarek," the doctor said. "Neither of you have any broken bones or life-threatening injuries, so I can release you if there's someone that can drive you both home."

"Our friends, other officers, are on their way here. We can have one of them drive us," Sam replied, knowing someone would be coming by to check on them.

The doctor nodded. "Okay then. Just be sure to take it easy. Although not life-threatening, your injuries are not minor and will take time to heal," he said before handing them both a prescription for painkillers. "I'd recommend at least a week before going back to work."

As the doctor walked away, Andy saw Traci, Dov and Jerry running toward them.

"Andy! Thank god you're okay!" Traci exclaimed, rushing over to hug her friend.

"We were really worried about you," Dov said, standing at the foot of Andy's bed. "Chris said he'd come see you later. Best would only let two of us leave the scene, saying he needed all hands on deck until this was over."

"What's the prognosis?" Jerry asked, looking at the bruises on his friend.

"Some cuts and bruises," Sam replied.

"And a gunshot wound and bruised rib," Andy added, pointing at Sam and frowning.

Jerry knew how stubborn his friend was at admitting injuries. "I'm glad we found you two. Look, I have to get back to the station and interrogate the guys we arrested, but I wanted to see how you guys were. If you're feeling up to it tomorrow, stop by the station so I can get your statements."

Sam knew there was something Jerry wasn't telling them, but knew it would be easier to question Dov. He'd play the whole I'm-your-superior-officer card, if necessary. After a few more questions about their health, Jerry left and Sam decided now was his chance. "Epstein, how did you guys find us anyway?" Sam asked.

"When Luke confessed, we used him to set up a meet-" He was cut off when Traci hissed, "Dov!"

"When Callaghan confessed to what?" Sam demanded.

"Best plans to update you later about this," Dov said, fidgeting nervously with his hands.

"Dov, you can't say that and not give us the rest of the story," Andy pleaded.

He looked at Traci, who shrugged, before looking back at Andy and Sam. "Luke was involved with the Santino's, feeding them information over the years," Dov said reluctantly.

Sam pounded his fist into the bed. Andy sat silent, shocked at the news.

"Look, Best can tell you all the details. Are you guys stuck here or are they releasing you soon?" Traci asked, looking for a way to change the subject.

"The doctor came by a few minutes ago and gave us the okay to go home. We're just waiting for the release forms," Andy replied.

"We can give you a ride," Traci offered.

Andy smiled and nodded. "That would be great Trace."

Sam wanted to go to the station and beat the crap out of the lying cheating homicide detective, but Andy's well-being was more important to him and she needed to get home and rest.

Less than two hours later, Sam and Andy had left the hospital and, after a quick stop at the pharmacy to fill their prescriptions, were back at his apartment lying in bed. Andy had carefully laid her head on Sam's shoulder. She winced slightly as Sam pulled her closer with the arm he had wrapped around her back. "I'm sorry," he said.

"It's okay, I'm just sore all over," she said sleepily.

Sam rubbed a hand up and down her arm soothingly, and soon they were both fast asleep.

* * *

><p>When Sam woke, darkness had fallen over the room. They had slept through the day and he was glad Andy hadn't been woken by any nightmares. Those would come soon enough. He knew from experience. The first traumatic experience on the job left him with nightmares for weeks. Thankfully, over the years, he learned to handle it better and there were fewer nightmares, and the ones he did have weren't as bad. But Andy was still a rookie, with probably no experience as horrific as the last 24 hours. <em>She'll have nightmares and there's nothing I can do to prevent that, to save her from reliving what she went through,<em> he thought sadly.

As if she sensed he was awake, Sam felt Andy stir.

"Ow," she hissed as she shifted her body. Her brown eyes opened, looking up at Sam. "Hi," she said smiling.

"How are you feeling?" he asked. It was a stupid question really. She'd been beat up, how did he expect her to feel.

Andy groaned as she rolled onto her back. "Well, the painkillers are starting to wear off," she said looking at the ceiling.

"You hungry?" Before Andy could reply, a loud rumble came from Sam's stomach. Andy couldn't help but giggle. "C'mon, we need to eat," he said, gently pushing her out of bed.

Andy trailed Sam down the hallway to the kitchen and leaned her back up against the counter as he searched the fridge. They were overdue on going grocery shopping, so Sam closed the door to the fridge empty handed. He reached into a cabinet and found half a box of pasta and figured that would have to do.

Andy set the table while Sam cooked the pasta and heated up some sauce. She wasn't used to this much quiet. She had everything and nothing she wanted to say. Should she bring up what happened? Were they allowed to talk about it before giving their statements? Maybe she should ignore it and find something to talk about that would take their mind off everything.

For Andy, it felt like the moment when Sam walked out of the house where Jamie Brennan had tortured him. When she didn't know if she should apologize, scream with delight that he was alive, or run into his arms crying. When Sam didn't know if he should be pissed at himself for getting her mixed up in his mess or relieved Brennan hadn't touched her. So, they had just stared at each other and he simply let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

Andy didn't know what she was _supposed_ to say when so many thoughts were running through her head.

When she sighed, Sam turned to look at her and saw her brow furrowed. Something was going on in that head of hers, but he didn't know what. He wanted to bring up what they had just gone through, but worried she wasn't ready. He didn't want to push her and have her close off completely. He decided to let them enjoy a nice dinner and give her some time.

After dinner, they sat on the couch watching some cheesy movie they found on TV. Sam's arm was around her shoulders holding her close and his hand was playing with her hair, while Andy's hand rested on his leg, absentmindedly drawing shapes just above his knee. Sam had lost interest in the movie and decided he didn't want to wait anymore.

"Andy. We need to talk," he said when a commercial came on. He saw worry and sadness flash across her face when she glanced over at him before her eyes were fixed back to the TV. He refused to look away from her and staring at her profile now, he was faced with her swollen cheek that had turned three shades of purple. His heart ached for what she'd been through.

Feeling him staring at her, Andy realized he wasn't going to give up. She blinked, trying to dry her eyes before turning toward him again. When he looked at her with those deep intense dark eyes, Andy had no fear.

She swallowed, not sure where to begin. "What do you want to know?" she asked timidly.

"Everything," he whispered.

"I was distracted when I left the station and started walking to Traci's, so I didn't see Santino's two guys come up around me. Before I knew it I was waking up tied to the chair in the room where you found me," Andy began. "I don't know how long I'd been out, but shortly after I came to one of Santino's men came into the room."

When Andy hesitated, Sam urged her to continue. "It'll help to talk about it, Andy. I know it's hard, but I know from experience that you can't let it build up inside you," he said, rubbing her shoulder.

She turned so her whole body was facing him and pulled her knees up to her chest. Resting her forehead on them, she continued. "He started punching me and he was talking, but I didn't really hear him. I just kept thinking about you, wondering if they were keeping you in another room or if you were trying to find me and save me, like you always do."

Her voice was muffled with her head down, but Sam could still make out what she said. "From the second I realized you were missing, I was out there looking for you," he assured her. When she remained silent, Sam rubbed the side of her leg. "Andy," he said, trying to get her attention. "Look at me."

She lifted her head slowly and he saw tears streaming down her face. "God, Andy, I'm so sorry," he said, dragging her onto his lap and hugging her against his chest. His body screamed in pain, but he didn't care. She buried her head in his chest and fisted his shirt in her hand as she sobbed, and he soon felt her tears through his shirt. Knowing there was nothing he could do but comfort her while she wept, he rubbed his hand up and down her back. He wasn't sure how much time had passed before he felt her breathing slow and her grip on his shirt loosen.

She circled her arms around him, just needing to be close to him. "I was so scared, Sam," she admitted. "Not just about getting out of there, but when Marco started punching you, I, I just – "

She fought back more tears and swallowed. "I just can't lose you."

Placing his hand under her chin, he nudged her face until she was staring up at him. "You won't," he said softly. He brushed the remaining tears off her face with his thumb, careful when he grazed over her bruised cheek. Andy traced the bruises on Sam's jaw and temple with her fingers and frowned.

He nuzzled her nose before kissing her forehead, letting his lips linger close to her. "I was scared too, scared I might lose you," he admitted. "I didn't know where they had taken you or what they had done to you. I was a mess. Ask Oliver, I think I owe him a few beers for lashing out at him."

Andy smiled at his last comment. "So you were your charming old self while I was gone, huh," she teased. Sam rolled his eyes.

Leaning down, Sam's lips met Andy's for a long, gentle kiss. They would be alright, Sam thought. They were alive and they were together, they would be alright.


	8. Chapter 8

Hope you're all continuing to enjoy this story. Reviews are like wonderful little gifts, so please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8 <strong>

Sam and Andy slept in the next day, but made their way to the station by late morning. Jerry met them when they arrived and assured them he would update them on what was going on, but he had to take their statements first. He ushered Andy into an empty room and asked her to walk him through everything that happened.

While Andy was recounting every detail, Sam made his way over to get a cup of coffee, which is where he ran into Oliver. "Hey, next time we're at the Penny, I'm buying," Sam said, offering his version of an apology.

"It's okay brother. McNally was missing, your emotions got the best of you," Oliver responded.

"Well, I should have taken it out on my locker, not you," Sam replied. His locker still had dents in it from when Jerry burned him after Andy arrested him on her first day. Oliver slapped his friend on the back in a gesture that said 'it was all good.'

"How are you doing? How is she doing?" Oliver asked, walking over to some chairs with Sam at his side.

"We're a bit banged up, but doing okay. Not sure what I would've done if…" Sam said trailing off.

"Hey, don't think about that brother. You can't think about that in our job. Just deal with the facts. She's here and she's okay," Oliver replied.

Sam nodded and glanced up at Frank's office. "Why is Superintendent Peck here?"

"Well, when we have to arrest one of our own, the superiors get involved," Oliver responded. Sam raised an eyebrow in question.

"Oh, right, you haven't heard. Frank had no choice but to arrest Callaghan yesterday. The white shirts are trying to decide the next steps. I mean, he's no one's best friend right now, but he is one of us," Oliver explained.

Sam wanted to know how Luke was involved in everything, but forced himself to be patient and wait for Jerry to give him all the details.

"Alright, I need to see if Epstein has finished booking the drunk driver we just brought in. Catch you later Sammy."

"See ya Oliver." As Sam watched Oliver walk away, he saw Andy come out of the room her and Jerry had been in, and Jerry waved him over. Andy went off to find Traci as Sam began retelling his version of the events to the detective.

She found Traci in the locker room changing her uniform pants. "Andy!" she exclaimed when she saw her best friend. "Hey Trace." At Andy's questioning look, her friend explained. "I just got puked on by some drunk guy Dov brought in. He's paying for my dry cleaning," Traci joked. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay. Just gave my statement," Andy said, leaning against a locker.

"If you want to talk about, you know, what happened, I'm here for you Andy," Traci said, putting a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. Andy smiled, thankful she had great friends.

"Don't be a stranger while you're off this week. Make sure and stop by the Penny some night, okay?" Traci urged.

"We will, I promise," Andy responded.

They chatted a bit longer before Traci had to get back to work. "If you need anything, call me," she said, hugging Andy before she left.

Andy wasn't sure what to do while she waited for Sam. She walked over to the full-length mirror hanging between the lockers and raised the shirt she was wearing. Her abdomen was covered in blue and purple like someone took a magic marker to her body. She stared, tracing the bruises with her fingers.

"Ouch, that looks like it hurts," Gail said, walking over to her locker. Andy jumped, not realizing anyone else was in the locker room. She pulled down her shirt and turned toward Gail.

"Well, yeah," she said with an isn't-that-obvious tone to her voice.

"Glad you're back safe. And well, you should know that Luke was distraught when he learned you were taken by the Santino's," Gail said.

"What, so that makes it all better?" Andy didn't know why Gail was telling her this and didn't want to continue the conversation. "Look, I gotta go," she said and walked out of the locker room.

She went to find Chris, who was on front desk duty. "Andy! I'm so glad you're okay," he said, jumping up to hug her. "You're okay, right? Dov said the doctors released you and Swarek, so I assumed you were good. It was too late to call when I was finally done here last night." Chris was speaking so fast, Andy had a hard time keeping up, but smiled when he finally took a breath.

"I'm fine Chris. I have to stay home for a week, which is probably good since I'm sure I'd scare someone with these bruises," she said, touching her cheek.

Chris frowned as he thought about what his friend went through. "I'm sorry it took us so long to find you," he said sadly.

Andy smiled. She knew he meant well, but she was sick of everyone apologizing to her. She was the stupid one who let herself get kidnapped.

"I should probably go see if Jerry's done with Sam. I'll talk to you later," she said, and Chris gave her another hug before she left.

Sam and Jerry were still talking, so Andy took a seat outside the room to wait. When they walked out a few minutes later, Jerry ushered Sam and Andy into his office. He quickly explained what had gone on while they had been missing. Andy was extremely thankful to her fellow officers when she heard most of the division had been looking for her, and then her and Sam. Based on evidence found in the warehouse Marco had been conspiring with his father for years about how to take Sam down and then rebuild the Santino empire.

"I wonder why no one kept better tabs on Marco all these years," Sam questioned.

"He was only a kid when his father went to jail. They probably thought he'd stay out of the life seeing what happened to his father and brother," Jerry guessed.

"There's something else you need to know about how we were able to find you," he continued. "One of the big leads came from Callaghan, when we found out he'd been working with Santino."

He explained what happened to Luke during the undercover operation and how he'd been sharing information with the Santino's ever since. Andy couldn't grasp what Jerry was telling them, how Luke, the supposedly good person and solid detective she had almost married, had gotten himself involved with the Santino's.

"So Callaghan not only helped to endanger the lives of two officers yesterday, but I'm lucky I made it out of that undercover operation alive," Sam hissed through his clenched jaw.

"He didn't directly give Santino information on you and McNally, but he kept them apprised of the investigation. In terms of that UC operation, I'm told Guns and Gangs will be reviewing all aspects of it," Jerry responded.

"What's going to happen to him?" Andy asked, speaking for the first time since they sat down.

"We arrested him last night on aiding and abetting criminal activities, and he's in holding now. And Internal Affairs has already started a full investigation, so he'll likely face more charges," Jerry said.

"I want to see him," Andy said.

"No," Sam stated, only to get a stare of death from Andy.

"Do you really think that's a good idea McNally?" Jerry asked.

"Look, I need to know why."

"Why what?" Sam asked, remembering a similar conversation they had after she'd been shot outside the concert at Supernova.

"I need to know why, or how, he could do this to his fellow officers. How he could lie all these years. I need to understand this in order to move on," she said, looking into Sam's eyes and seeing that he understood.

Jerry looked at Sam, who shrugged, and then back at Andy. "Okay, go and talk him," the detective said.

* * *

><p>Andy stood in Luke's holding cell, leaning against the wall. Fidgeting with the keys to the door, she waited for Luke to answer her question.<p>

"No, Andy, I didn't know they were going after you, or Swarek for that matter. You have to believe me," he pleaded. Andy thought he looked tired, maybe more emotionally than physically.

"The information he asked for, it never seemed like anything important. And yesterday, I tried giving him as little as possible once I knew it involved you," he said, standing up and moving toward her. She held her hand up stopping him, and he sat back down.

"What about when you were undercover? You knew you were putting another officer at risk. How could you even do that?" she demanded.

"I thought it was my only way out, that they'd kill me otherwise," he said, and she believed him. Still, having been held captive herself, she never would have turned her back on the job she loved or the people she worked with.

"Did you know it was you that killed Frankie and not Sam?"

"Yes, I knew. I think we both knew, but - " Andy didn't let him finish.

"How ironic," she spat. "Santino thought he was getting revenge on the cop who killed his son, but he was really working with the killer."

Luke flinched at her use of the word killer. "Andy," he sighed.

"I don't want to hear it Luke. Your colleagues deserved better out of you. And Frankie might have been a criminal, but he deserved a right to face justice. I don't know how I ever thought I loved a man like you," she said, turning to leave.

"Andy, wait," Luke said, causing her to pause as she put a hand on the doorknob.

"For what it's worth, I'm fully complying with IA. I know I was wrong and I'll take whatever punishment they have planned. I'm sorry."

Without looking back, Andy pulled the door closed and walked out to the squad room. Sam was there waiting for her, perched on the edge of a desk talking to another officer. He smiled when he saw her and seeing his dimples she couldn't help but smile back. "Ready to go?" he asked.

"Yup," she said, putting an arm around his waist.

"Everything go okay in there?" he asked.

"His answers don't make anything better, but I said what I needed to say to him. And I guess that's all I wanted," she said, leaning into him.

Sam put his arm around her as they headed out to his truck. "You know, I have some ideas how we could spend the next week while we're on forced sick leave," Sam said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"I'm sure you do," she said, grinning and laughing.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Sam and Andy lay curled up together in bed watching a movie. Andy was distracted. It wasn't that the movie was bad, but her mind kept wandering until she couldn't take it anymore.<p>

"Sam?"

"Hmmm."

"Have we found our normal?" she asked as she played with the hair on his chest.

"What are you talking about?" he asked with confusion written on his face.

"You know," she said sitting up. "I mean, is chasing bad guys, getting beat up, and coming home to make dinner and watch a movie what normal is for us?"

"I sincerely hope getting beat up doesn't become a regular thing for us," he joked.

"I'm serious. How is that normal?"

"What's with your obsession with being normal all of a sudden?" he asked, wondering where this conversation was going.

"It's just, that night after Brennan, when he – after we found you. You asked me if I wanted to try being normal with you," she said, not really sure how to ask what was nagging at her. "Are we normal? Or is that something we'll never find…together?" The last word came out only as a whisper, but Sam heard it.

He stopped her hands from fidgeting by grasping them in his own. "Are you worried I said that because I only want to be with you if we can be normal?" She bit her bottom lip and looked anywhere but at him.

"Andy?"

"Yes. No. Normal couples work, they live happily ever after."

Sam sighed. "Is chasing down bad guys normal for us, as cops? Yes. Is it normal for my 70-year-old neighbors? No. Is me cooking for you because I'm an _awesome_ cook normal? Yes. Is you cooking for me after almost burning down my building normal? No…and you're never touching the stove again," he teased.

"Sam!" she said rolling her eyes. "It was _one_ time, and you distracted me!"

"My point is," he said, getting serious. "Every couple has their own normal, what's right for them. So, yes, I guess we have found our normal. And Andy, we're not a fairy tale, so there's no guarantee there won't be ups and downs. But know this, normal or not, I'll always want to be with you, to have you in my life."

He looked into her eyes. "Are you happy?"

"Yes, absolutely," she said, without needing to even think about it.

"Good, cause I am too. That's all that matters," he said. "Don't over think it."

She thought about what he said, realizing he was right. She should stop worrying about normal. She laid back down with her head resting on his chest. "Will you teach me how to cook?" she asked.

"Only if there's a fire extinguisher nearby," he laughed.

She poked him in his side, but couldn't help to laugh with him.

"By the way, even if we aren't a fairy tale, you're still my prince," she said with a toothy grin. He responded with a kiss to her forehead and Andy could feel his smile.

* * *

><p>Sam and Andy spent the first couple days of their sick time at home, lying on the couch and catching up on their favorite TV shows. On night three Sam woke up to Andy screaming. She was still asleep, but obviously having a nightmare, so he gently rubbed her arm trying to wake her up. As her eyes opened, he moved his hand so it was cupping her cheek.<p>

"Hey, hey, it's okay, I'm here. You were having a nightmare," he said.

Andy closed her eyes and felt her heart pounding in her chest. She turned on her side so she was facing Sam. "Yeah, just a bad dream."

Sam rolled onto his side so he was facing Andy and moved close enough so he could brush her nose with his and place a soft kiss on her lips. "Wanna talk about it?"

She remained silent and if not for her open eyes, Sam would have thought she went back to sleep.

"I was back in the warehouse," she finally said. "But Santino shot us."

"Nightmares are expected after a traumatic experience like this, Andy. The department has people you can talk to."

"No, I don't want to talk to a stranger." She put her hand on Sam's chest, tracing his muscles.

"You can talk to me."

"I know. Right now, I just need you to hold me, to remind me we're both still alive."

Sam was happy to comply, putting his arms around her and pulling her close. She buried her face in his chest and took a deep breath. She felt safe and comfortable and loved in Sam's arms. He made sure she fell into a peaceful sleep before letting himself drift off.

* * *

><p>In a dark prison cell, Marco stared up at the ceiling. Lights out had been announced hours earlier, but he couldn't sleep. Images of his dead father and dead brother played over and over in his head. <em>I won't let that cop get away with this,<em> he thought. _You don't kill my father and keep breathing._ A plan started forming in his head as he saw an opportunity. He would fulfill his father's wishes, even if it was the last thing he did.


	9. Chapter 9

Even though Marco hasn't disappeared completely, I promise we won't be seeing much of him in the remaining chapters. :) Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9 <strong>

On their first day back to work, Sam made sure they were on time since they had to meet with Frank before parade. Although most of their injuries had healed, Frank wasn't ready to put them back on the streets yet.

"I need to make sure you're back to 100 percent before letting you out on patrol," he said. "Let's give it another few days. Until then, Andy, you're on front desk duty and Swarek, why don't you tackle that mountain of paperwork you've been avoiding."

Sam and Andy groaned at the thought of desk duty, but at least they were allowed back at work.

"Now, get out of my office," Frank said with a smile. "Parade in five."

Sam and Andy were greeted with pats on the back and "welcome back" as they made their way to their seats – Andy found a seat next to Dov, while Sam perched on the edge of a table in the back next to Oliver. Parade was short, with the regular reminders being given and assignments called out before Frank dismissed everyone.

Although Andy hated desk duty, she was glad to find Traci paired with her. Getting up to leave the room, Andy smiled at Sam as he sulked out, complaining to Oliver about the paperwork he was being forced to catch up on.

Andy walked with Traci to the front desk when something caught her eye as they passed the homicide detectives' office. She stopped, and looking through the window saw a familiar bottle of hand cream sitting on the corner of one of the previously vacant desks.

"Hey Trace, is there a new homicide detective?" she asked, catching up to her friend.

"Oh, you haven't heard?" Traci didn't know how to break the news to her friend. "The white shirts didn't want to leave us down a detective with Luke being gone, so they rushed a transfer. She started three days ago."

"Trace, who is it?"

"It's Jo," she replied, offering a sympathetic look before trying to gauge her friend's reaction.

_Well, that's surely…interesting,_ Andy thought. _I've traded in working with my ex to working with the woman he cheated on me with. Lovely._

"Sorry, I thought you already heard," Traci said, feeling bad she hadn't warned her friend.

"It's okay. It's just, I don't know. I guess I never thought I'd have to see her again," Andy said, sitting down.

Their conversation was cut short when the phone rang and Andy answered it.

It was more than two hours later, after dozens of calls and several walk-ins, that things started to calm down at the front desk. When Andy returned with coffees for her and Traci, she pushed the paperwork that needed to be filed to the side. "How's Leo?" she asked.

"He's great. He really likes Jerry, and Jerry is so good with him. Things have finally fallen into place for Leo and me. I'm happy when he's happy," Traci smiled.

"And I'm so happy for you," Andy said. "I knew things would work out."

"How are things with you and Swarek? Haven't seen you on my couch in a while," Traci teased.

Andy blushed. "I guess I've been spending a lot of time at his place, haven't I?"

"You know you're more than welcome to stay with me whenever you want, but when are you going to just move in with him?"

"Trace! We're not there yet. If he was ready for that, he'd ask. And I don't want to rush things, look at what happened when I did that with Luke," Andy said frowning.

"Andy, you and Sam are much different than you and Luke. I've watched you and Sam for two years, it's like the two of you were the missing puzzle piece of each other's life. Don't hesitate just because you're scared," Traci said, knowing her friend needed a little push sometimes.

"You're the one who told me to put him on ice last year," Andy smirked.

"You're never going to let me live that down are you?" Traci laughed. "I just thought it was some passing crush. If I had known your deep feelings for him then, I never would have suggested that."

Andy was silent for a bit thinking over what Traci said. _Am I'm over thinking the whole moving in thing_, she thought. _I always run. Maybe Sam is afraid that's what I'll do if he asks me._

When she noticed her friend was still staring at her, Andy grabbed a stack of reports and papers off the desk and stood up. "I'm gonna go file these," she said, wanting to avoid anymore conversation about her and Sam.

She may have been able to avoid discussing the issue with Traci, but the voices in her head had other ideas as she opened the drawer of a file cabinet. _Ever since my mom left, I've had trouble trusting people,_ she thought. _Then I finally open my heart to Luke and begin to trust someone and he stomps on it. No, that's not entirely true_, she told herself. _I trusted Sam with my life long before that and my heart has always been comfortable with him._

_Sam really is always there for me, _she thought. _And I see my future self with him, and I see our_ _kids. Wait, did I just say kids? Where did that come from? _She sighed as the voices in her head continued talking. _Maybe I can trust him with my heart. I need to tell him I love him. I think he knows and I'm pretty sure he feels the same, but I need to say it to him._

"Don't over think it," a familiar voice said from behind, startling her. "I could see the gears turning in that pretty little head of yours," Sam said when she turned around looking surprised.

"I'm not thinking about anything, just filing these reports," she said, hoping her lying skills had gotten better.

"Uh huh," Sam said, quirking an eyebrow. "You don't have to pretend with me, Andy. I know what's got you worked up."

_How could he know_, she thought. _Was she that transparent? Could he really see this internal debate she was having?_

"I saw Rosati and Jerry told me she's back working here. I'm sure it'll just take some getting used to," Sam said.

_What? He was talking about Jo. Oh thank god, this I can deal with_, she thought_._ "Oh yeah, it'll just take some time, I guess."

When Sam approached Andy, he was convinced she was concerned about working with Jo, but as she fumbled with the reports she was filing, he wasn't so sure that was the case. Something was troubling her, that was for sure, but he couldn't put his finger on what.

Sam squeezed her shoulder in comfort and decided he should get back to his slowly shrinking pile of paperwork. "Well, I better get back at it. Feel free to come help me with all this paperwork," he said, hoping he could get out of some of it by flashing his dimples.

"Yeah, so not gonna work," Andy replied, pointing at his dimples. "_I_ actually completed my paperwork when I was supposed to. Guess you're not as _awesome_ as you think you are," she teased.

Sam feigned hurt with his hand over his heart as he walked back to his desk.

* * *

><p>The next days passed slowly. Frank kept Sam and Andy on desk duty, which made the days drag, but on the third day they convinced him they were ready to get back out on patrol. Happy, and a bit surprised, they had made it this long without begging to get back out there, he smiled and said he'd put them back in their cruiser tomorrow.<p>

Andy practically bounced out of Frank's office, excited that she'd no longer be stuck in the station, and ran right into Jo. "Oh, sorry," she said, pulled from her happy thoughts. Sam watched the awkward encounter from the sidelines.

"Actually, McNally, you're the person I was looking for. Diaz arrested a teenage girl for attempted robbery, but she won't speak to me. Detective Barber seems to think you can relate to her and get her to talk. You up for it?" Jo asked.

Surprised Jo would come to her, Andy glanced over at Sam before responding. "Sure, what do we know so far?"

Jo got Andy up to speed as they walked to the interrogation room.

That night, on the way home, Andy gushed about how great the interrogation went. "Seriously Sam, the girl just started confessing the instant I called her out. She admitted everything and started crying because she was going to steal the electronics so she could get money to pay her sick brother's hospital bills."

"You're a natural at interviewing people," Sam praised.

"I learned from the best," she smiled at him. "It felt great," she continued. "Not just getting back into real police work, but you know…"

"Getting a job done that a certain someone else couldn't accomplish," he said, finishing her thought.

Andy smiled and Sam knew her competitive nature was going to make it very interesting to have Jo working with them.

* * *

><p>Being back on patrol made the next day fly by. Sam and Andy were partnered together and were called to two minor car crashes, a noise complaint and a domestic assault, all before lunch.<p>

They had barely gotten back in the cruiser after stopping for lunch when the radio sprung to life again, requesting officers to the scene of a fire. Sam and Andy were the first officers to arrive on scene and saw hot orange flames shooting out the windows of a two story home. The fire lieutenant immediately notified them that a caller reported seeing someone set the fire.

"This is 1505, we may have a case of arson here. Send a detective to coordinate with the fire investigation," Sam said into his radio.

Seeing Dov and Chris pull up to the scene, he started giving out orders. "McNally, Epstein, start getting statements, see if anyone around here knows anything. Diaz, start roping off this area, get the crowd moved across the street."

No one had much useful information to give Andy and Dov as most had only come over when they saw the fire and police response. Andy was about to complain how useless this was when Dov tapped her arm with his pen and nodded to a man in his late 20s. She noticed him shifting uncomfortably and staring at the house in flames nervously.

"I'll go ask him some questions, but go around behind him in case he decides to run," Andy said. She waited until Dov quietly positioned himself before heading over.

"Sir? Sir, can I ask you a couple questions?" She had barely gotten the words out when the guy was turning and running. He got about five steps before Dov tackled him.

"Not smart guy, not smart," Dov said as he handcuffed the man. As he led the guy to the back of a cruiser, Andy talked to a neighbor who was pretty sure she saw the man near the house just before she saw flames.

Andy updated Sam, who told her to head back to the station with Dov to interview the guy. He was going to stay on scene until a detective arrived to take over.

Back at the station, Andy sat at the table in an interrogation room with Dov standing next to her and they both stared down the guy sitting handcuffed across from them. They had already tried asking him to tell them what had happened, but only got "I don't know what you're talking about" in response. So, the stare-off began.

"Look Johnny, we can put you at the house minutes before it went up in flames, and you were in possession of a lighter," Andy stated.

"Maybe I smoke," he replied with attitude.

"We also know the first person on your speed dial lives at the address that just went up in smoke," Dov said, folding his arms across his chest.

The staring contest resumed, lasting for several minutes before Andy spoke again. "Well, let's just hope _she_ wasn't in the house, otherwise this is going to be a homicide, a much bigger crime," she said, looking up at Dov. He nodded in agreement and they both looked back at Johnny's face for any signs he was cracking.

At the shocked look on his face, Andy knew she got him.

"No, no, she wasn't there. I just wanted to send her a message, I know she wasn't there. No. No."

Andy and Dov fought back smiles as Johnny broke down and confessed to throwing a Molotov cocktail through the window after an argument with his girlfriend. He insisted the girlfriend had plans and wasn't in the house, and he didn't want to kill her. What he didn't know was Dov had already confirmed she was alive and well.

On the other side of the mirror, Sam stood in the observation room grinning. His girlfriend really had a knack with interrogations. He liked to think it was partly due to his training, but knew it was because she had fantastic cop instincts.

* * *

><p>As Andy sat on the couch relaxing after dinner, Sam brought over two bowls of ice cream. He handed her the bowl filled with strawberry ice cream and saw her shaking her head as he sat down. "What?"<p>

"How can you eat that stuff?" she said, looking at the scoops of green ice cream in his bowl.

"It's delicious," he replied, holding a spoon out toward her.

She shook her head. Although she'd seen him eat this ice cream many times, she still couldn't believe he actually liked the stuff. "When you told me your favorite ice cream was pistachio, I really thought it was part of your cover story," she said, stuffing her mouth with a spoonful of her own pink ice cream.

"You have to make it real undercover. Tell the truth whenever you can. Keeps it simple, makes it easier to remember what you've told people," he responded. "And pistachio is delicious. You really should try it."

She scrunched her nose up to show how disgusting she thought it was. "Ewww."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Shut up and eat your ice cream," he said playfully.

When they were done Sam returned the empty bowls to the kitchen and Andy suddenly remembered the clothes she threw in the dryer before work that morning. Reluctantly, she brought her freshly cleaned clothes to the bedroom to fold them and started to wonder how she was going to fit it all in the drawer Sam had let her use.

_I seem to be leaving more and more of my clothes here, _she thought. _It's because I'm comfortable being here with Sam. _He walked into the room just in time to see Andy glance over at the dresser and frown. He thought this might be a good time to bring up a couple things he'd been thinking about.

"Are any of your clothes even left at Traci's," he teased, but immediately knew by the look on her face he went about it the wrong way.

Andy fidgeted with the shirt she was folding. _Maybe he doesn't feel the same way I do. Maybe I've been wrong about everything,_ she thought. "Oh, uh, sorry. I didn't realize I was taking up so much space. I'll bring some of this stuff back to Traci's," she said, waving her hand over the pile in front of her.

Sam exhaled loudly and rubbed a hand over his face. "Andy, that's not what I meant." Coming over to put a hand on her shoulder, he continued. "What I was trying to get at, obviously way too subtly, was that you should just bring all your stuff over."

"I'm already crowding you out Sam, you don't need more of my stuff here. I just hate the thought of going condo shopping again," Andy said, still thinking he didn't share her feelings.

Sam shook his head, fighting back a laugh as he turned Andy toward him. He was going to try this again. "Maybe we should go furniture shopping instead, to find another dresser. You know, one that could fit _all_ your clothes and, I don't know, fit between the windows over there."

"Are you asking me to move in with you Sam Swarek?" she questioned as a smile formed on her lips.

"Well, if that doesn't freak you out too much, then yes. Otherwise I'm just complaining at all the space you take up," he joked. Andy playfully slapped his chest before her arms went around his neck.

"Yes, I would like to move in with you," she said before pressing her lips to his. Sam's right hand cupped the back of her neck bringing her closer and deepening the kiss, while the other rested on her waist.

Sam reluctantly pulled back from the kiss because there was something else he needed to say. His hand moved from her waist to rub up and down her back and he nuzzled her nose until she looked him in the eyes.

"There's something else I need to tell you," he said, taking a moment to inhale her scent. Tonight it was vanilla mixed with strawberries. "I love you," he said quietly.

Andy smiled and Sam saw a sparkle in her brown eyes. "I love you too." She took his hand and placed it flat over her heart, and he could feel it beating through her shirt. "My heart belongs to you. I think it always has, I just didn't realize it."

Sam crushed his mouth against Andy's and lifted her onto the bed. Falling gently on top of her, some of the laundry fell off the bed. "Sam! I just folded all of that."

With a sweep of his hand, he pushed the remaining clothes to the floor. "I'll help you fold it later. Right now I want fewer clothes on this bed," he said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

He felt Andy giggle as he brought his mouth back to hers and tugged at her shirt.

* * *

><p>When Andy woke up the next morning, she couldn't wait to talk to Traci, but her phone went to voicemail. Andy ran to the locker room when she and Sam got to the station, but didn't see her friend anywhere in sight. Slightly disappointed, she got changed into her uniform.<p>

"Hey, I tried calling you this morning," Andy said when she saw Traci opening her locker a few minutes later.

"Leo was being a terror and not wanting to go to school. I barely got us both out of the house alive this morning," she said, hurrying to get changed so she wasn't late for parade.

Andy shut her locker and straddled the bench next to her friend's locker. "Well, I wanted to see if it would be okay if I stopped by on my next day off to collect the rest of my stuff," she said.

Traci stopped buttoning her shirt and looked over at her smiling friend. "Does this mean what I think it means? Are you officially moving in with Swarek?" she asked excitedly.

"Yup," Andy said, popping the 'P' and nodding her head vigorously as she grinned. "He asked me right before we exchanged 'I love you's.'"

"What? I'm so happy for you!" Traci hugged her friend and quickly finished putting her uniform on.

They continued chatting animatedly until they snuck into parade just before Best started talking, and ignored Dov and Chris' inquisitive looks. As the four walked to their cruisers after parade, Dov and Chris interrogated their two friends about why they looked so happy, and Andy told them about her plans to move in with Sam.

"Andy, that's awesome!" Chris said.

"Rock 'n roll McNally, have fun playing house with Swarek," Dov said.

She rolled her eyes at Dov, but loved having friends that were like family. "Let's have some fun at the Penny tonight. I think we deserve it," she said. They all agreed to meet after shift before heading to their separate cruisers.

After Sam and Andy had been on the road for about an hour, they got a call over the radio. "1505, you're needed back at the station immediately."

Andy gave Sam a questioning look, but he just shrugged his shoulders. "Copy that, 1505 on our way," she responded to dispatch.

Arriving back at the station, they were met by Frank who ushered them into the detectives' office where Jerry and Jo already stood. "We have a slight problem," Frank began. Andy glanced nervously at Sam before looking back at Frank.

"We were notified a short time ago that Marco Santino escaped custody while being transported to a different prison where he was going to be held until trial," Frank said. "Until further notice, you two need to be placed in protective custody."

"What? Come on, we're cops. We don't need protective custody," Sam protested.

"This isn't a debate. It was a coordinated escape, which means Marco had help from the outside. He could have a plan to finish what his father started, which let me remind you, was to kill both of you," Frank said, clearly indicating this was not up for discussion.

"Now, with Jerry taking lead on the investigation to find Marco and our other detectives working overtime on cases with Callaghan gone, I'm assigning Detective Rosati to stay with you at a safe house," he continued.

Andy's eyes opened wide at the thought of being stuck with Jo for who knows how long. "Why can't Sam and I just check into the safe house on our own?" she asked.

"Like I said before McNally, this is not up for debate. We need to assign someone to you and she's who is available right now," Frank responded.

Andy fought the urge to roll her eyes, and Jerry sent her and Sam an apologetic look.

"I'll meet you at the car in half an hour," Jo said, and walked over to her desk to gather some files.

Sam and Andy headed to the locker rooms to change and grab their stuff before heading to the safe house. Sam grabbed Andy's arm to stop her outside the locker rooms. "It's not going to be that bad. We'll be together and with Jerry on the hunt, I'm sure Marco will be locked up before the day's over," he said.

Andy forced a smile and hoped Sam was right, but she couldn't help but think back to the last time her and Jo were stuck together. That time she was doing the protecting, but it was also the day her world fell apart.


	10. Chapter 10

I don't know a lot about poker, so bear with me during the little poker scene in this chapter if it's not 100% accurate. Thank you for all the reviews, favorites and alerts throughout this story. There will only be one more chapter after this one.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10 <strong>

"Just think of it like we're going undercover," Sam said as they walked to Jo's car.

Andy simply shrugged and threw her bag in the trunk before getting in the backseat. Sam tossed his bag next to hers before getting in the front passenger seat. He made small talk with Jo as she drove to the safe house, but was more concerned with how quiet Andy was. She was _never_ this quiet.

They pulled up to a row of brick buildings and it turned out the safe "house" was actually an apartment. They walked up to the third floor and Jo led them into a two-bedroom apartment. Sam noticed it had modest furnishings that were a lot better than most of the undercover apartments he'd had to live in. _We can manage this for a day or two_, he thought.

"The fridge has been stocked, so help yourself. There are two bedrooms," she said, leaving a dramatic pause before continuing. "I assume you two are okay sharing one," she smirked. Andy narrowed her eyes and scowled at her. Andy may have moved on happily from Luke, but Jo still resented that the doe-eyed rookie was the one he loved and the reason he didn't want to be with her.

"There are toiletries in the bathroom, not much, but the basics. And if this goes past a day or so, we can get someone to pick up some clothes and other necessities," Jo finished, and plopped her work bag on the coffee table.

"Thanks. Why don't we get ourselves settled," Sam said to Andy, noticing her eyes were still narrowed as she continued to glare at Jo. He gently pushed her toward one of the bedrooms. Once inside, he shut the door and placed both their bags on the bed.

"What was that about?" he asked, eyebrows raised in question.

"What was what? She was rude," Andy replied. Seeing that Sam wasn't happy with that answer, she exhaled loudly and sat on the bed.

"You don't get it," she said, her hands pulling at invisible strings on her jeans.

"What don't I get? Talk to me," Sam said, sitting down next to her and placing his hand on her lower back. That simple gesture always comforted her and it had the same affect now.

"You don't get it," she repeated. "She reminds me of the fool I was, how stupid Luke made me look. How everyone just knew, somehow could see right through the story I made up. I was getting looks of pity from officers I didn't even know."

"_You _are not the fool, Andy. Callaghan is for not loving you the way you deserve to be loved," Sam said, pulling her closer.

She laid her head on his shoulder. "It's not that. Honestly, I regret it didn't happen sooner because I wasted so much time trying to fake it and make something work when my heart belonged to someone else," she said, grabbing his hand in hers. "It gave me the excuse I was looking for to end things."

Andy sighed and paused before continuing. "But I'm a cop and couldn't even see when my own fiancé was lying to me. I felt like an idiot."

"You are a great cop. You have great instincts. Don't question that over some guy who couldn't keep it in his pants," Sam said. When Andy remained silent, he tried to bring some levity to the situation. "Didn't I tell you to take an axe to her desk to make you feel better? Should've listened to me," he said smiling.

Andy looked up at him in disbelief and started laughing. When Sam saw a genuine smile on her face, he knew she'd be okay. "Look, you have me here. Anytime you get the feeling you want to throttle her to death, just give me a sign and I'll save you," he joked.

Andy pulled back from Sam and slugged him in the arm playfully. "Shut up."

"I love you," she said.

"I love you too."

They sat on the bed in silence for a few minutes before Andy spoke. "You hungry?" she asked.

"You kidding? We missed lunch. I'm starving!" Sam replied.

"Let's see what I can find us for lunch," she said, standing up and holding her hand out for Sam to grab. He put his hand in hers as he stood, and opened the door with his other hand, ushering them out of the bedroom.

Jo glanced up, but quickly went back to the file she was reading. Andy pulled Sam into the kitchen and began rummaging through the fridge. When she found makings for sandwiches, she pulled some of the groceries out and made lunch for the two of them. They chatted quietly about nothing important while they ate and only heard shuffling papers from the other room.

After lunch they walked back into the living room to find something to do to pass the time and Jo looked in their direction. "I know how much you love magazines when you're cooped up, so -" she said, glancing between Andy and several magazines lying on the coffee table. Obviously a crack at Andy's excitement about getting wedding magazines the last time she was stuck with Jo – when she tried to cheer up the girl they were protecting from a homicidal boyfriend – she stood there scowling at the detective.

Sam saw fire in his girlfriend's eyes and gently touched her arm, but she jerked away.

"Look, you may not like me. And I obviously don't like you. But we have to work together. And right now we're stuck in the same apartment together, so you might want to lose the attitude," Andy scolded. Then, purposely avoiding the magazines, she marched over to the TV and grabbed the remote, turning on some entertainment talk show.

Sam's eyes darted between Andy and Jo, and decided it was best for him to stay out of this fight. At a loss for words Jo looked down at the papers in her hands, and Sam thought she looked shocked Andy would speak to her that way. When Andy looked at him with raised eyebrows, he couldn't help but smile and moved to perch himself on the arm of the oversized chair she sat in. Andy felt good. She wasn't going to let Jo treat her that way, even if she was her superior. The room remained silent, with the exception of talk show hosts discussing the latest celebrity wedding.

A short time later, Sam and Andy were playfully arguing about what to watch on TV when Jo answered a phone call and motioned to mute the TV before turning on the speakerphone. "Okay Jerry, we're all here."

"We think we know where Marco Santino is hiding. Two of his guys weren't at the warehouse when we raided it and we're tracking them down now. We should be able to wrap this up and have you guys home tomorrow," Jerry said, his voice echoing through the phone.

"That's great man. Anything we can do to help?" Sam asked.

"Just sit tight, stay inside the apartment. I'll call when I have another update," he responded.

* * *

><p>The afternoon and evening passed uneventfully. Jo kept to herself, retreating to her bedroom briefly after dinner, and Andy and Sam were playing cards at the kitchen table when she returned.<p>

"Uh, mind if I play? Kinda sick of reading reports," she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, sure," Sam said, waving at the open chairs.

"What are we playing?" Jo asked, sitting down across from Andy.

"Poker, Texas Hold'em. I'm still trying to convince Sam to let me come to poker night sometime," Andy said, shuffling the deck of cards.

"You know the rule, it's only us guys at poker night. No women allowed," Sam said.

Jo snorted. "So, it's like little boys hanging a 'no girls allowed' sign on their tree house."

Andy tried really hard not to laugh, because she really didn't want to, but it was funny and she couldn't help but crack up at Jo's comment. Sam was glad the daggers were no longer being thrown between the two women, but did it have to be at his expense?

"Maybe I'll convince the rest of the women at 15 Division to hold out on their men until we're allowed at poker night," Andy said, earning a glare from Sam.

"Let's just play," he said.

"He's just afraid I'd kick his ass in front of all his friends," Andy smirked, and started dealing the cards.

She knew her and Jo would never be best friends, but at least for tonight they put their feelings aside. _And who knows, maybe we can put the past behind us,_ she thought.

Not prepared for a real game of poker, they decided to bet cookies and pretzels instead of money, and quickly Andy's pile grew. But then she got distracted. Sam was aiming his smoldering eyes at her and giving her these seductive looks. And crap, she was betting way too much for the horrible cards in her hand. And yes, it was just food, but her competitiveness needed her to win.

Sam thought he had Andy just where he wanted her and could taste sweet victory. But Andy had other ideas. "I raise you another five cookies," she said. When Jo folded, which was expected – she was really bad at this game – Andy slid her hand under the table out of view and placed it on Sam's leg.

Sam's eyes moved over to Andy before going back to review his cards. "I raise – " his breath hitched as Andy's hand moved up this thigh. He cleared his throat before continuing, "I raise you another five cookies."

Andy pretended to think about what she was going to do, and then pushed all her cookies and pretzels to the center of the table. "All in," she said confidently.

Sam knew he had a flush and wondered if Andy really did have a better hand. But his mind soon went blank when her hand moved to the top of his thigh and her knuckles brushed against his zipper. Andy heard his sharp intake of breath as his one hand grabbed hers under the table. _Yup, right where I want him, _she thought.

Sam could no longer focus on the cards in his hands. "I fold," he said, tossing his cards on the table.

Andy smiled wickedly as she placed her cards face up and Sam looked bewildered. All she had was a measly pair of queens.

"Ha!" Andy got up to dance around the room. "I win!"

Jo congratulated her and began to clean up the table as Sam walked over to hug his girlfriend. "You're evil," he whispered in her ear.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Sam and Andy were woken up by the sounds of knocking on the bedroom door. Sam stumbled out of bed in his boxers and threw his jeans on before opening the door. "Yeah?" he grunted.<p>

"Sorry, Frank just texted me. They're picking up Marco in about an hour and he gave me the okay to bring you guys back to the station," Jo said.

"Great. We'll get up and get ready to go," he responded, and closed the door when she nodded.

"Looks like this is over," Sam said, turning back to the bed to look at Andy.

"I'll be glad when things get back to normal," she said, and quickly saw Sam smirking at her use of the word normal. "Oh, you know what I mean, just back to our normal – regular lives."

"Go take your shower so we can get the heck out of here," she said.

"We could save time – "

"Not happening here, with Jo in the next room," Andy cut him off. "Now go," she said, throwing a pillow at him.

Sam's dimples were on full display as he picked up his bag and headed to the bathroom.

* * *

><p>When Sam, Andy and Jo got to the station a couple hours later, they learned things hadn't gone according to plan.<p>

"The intel was off. We got the okay to cross divisional boundaries and sent a team to a location just outside the city, only to find the place empty. Moments ago I found out Marco was spotted this morning at an old apartment building downtown," Frank told them.

"How'd this happen? Where's the team now?" Sam asked.

"The team is on their way back, but they're still 40 minutes out," Frank responded.

"We can be there in 5 minutes Frank, let us go. Every minute counts. We don't want to lose him again," Sam pleaded.

Frank shook his head, but was thinking about what Sam said when Jo interjected. "He's right Frank. This is our opportunity to get him. He could be gone in 40 minutes. We don't want to lose him twice in one day."

Frank relented and told them to go before he changed his mind. They wasted no time, grabbing their guns and vests on the way out. Sam and Andy jumped in a cruiser, while Jo got in her car. The team was notified that the detective and two officers would be on scene first.

Arriving at the building, Sam and Andy headed inside while Jo checked the perimeter. Looking at the mailboxes in the lobby, Sam saw the name Joey Matthews and knew he was one of the men believed to have helped Marco escape. "Third floor," he whispered, and led the way up the stairs.

Guns out, they crept down the hallway until Sam saw apartment 3F. He motioned for Andy to stand behind him and he kicked the door in, immediately seeing Marco and Joey standing on the far side of the room. "Police, don't move!" The two men did what they were told, but Andy saw Marco's eyes darting around like he was assessing the situation and trying to find a way out of it.

Marco grumbled under his breath, while Joey began shouting. "What the hell man, we're just chillin' here! Don't want no problem with the cops!"

"Then you shouldn't have helped Marco escape," Andy said, not taking her eyes off of the man who almost killed her and Sam.

"I didn't do nothing," Joey protested. "You can't prove I did something."

Sam and Andy inched closer to the men and kept their guns pointed directly at them. "Slowly place your hands on your head," Sam instructed.

Joey continued protesting he did anything wrong while he raised his hands. Sam was about to tell Andy to cuff him while he dealt with Marco when he heard her shout. Andy had been watching Marco as his left hand went to his head, but the other stayed in his jacket pocket and she saw the glint of metal. She shouted "Gun!" as she saw Marco aim at Sam. Andy barreled into Sam, pushing him to the ground as a bullet flew past. Marco fired a second shot, but apparently had horrible aim, as it hit the floor a foot away from them. Before he could get a third shot off, Andy fired her gun, hitting Marco in the chest close to his shoulder, which caused him to drop the gun. Sam rose quickly and tackled Marco.

"Oww!" Marco yelped as Sam roughly handcuffed him. He knew the man was injured, but was taking no chances the guy could escape.

"Shut up."

Sam looked over at Andy, who had gotten off the floor and was standing above Joey, who was cowering behind the couch. She pulled him up and slapped the handcuffs on him. Jo burst into the room with her gun drawn, lowering it only when she saw Sam and Andy had everything under control. She grabbed a radio off her belt and called for an ambulance before updating backup on the situation.

Oliver and Dov arrived on scene a short time later and took Joey off Andy's hands, while she and Sam waited with Marco for the paramedics. Jo was heading back outside when she saw the paramedics, and directed them to the correct apartment.

"He's losing a lot of blood. We need to get him to the hospital right away," one of the medics said after quickly examining Marco. Sam and Andy followed Marco and the medics out of the building, where Sam grabbed another officer, instructing him to ride in the ambulance and keep an eye on Marco at the hospital. Sam didn't want the criminal to leave police custody. Even injured, Marco was a dangerous man and Sam didn't want to take any chances.

Sam wondered if this nightmare was finally over. He walked over to where Andy was standing next to their cruiser waiting for him. "Good job. I didn't see him pull a gun," he said.

"I've always got your back," Andy said, smiling.


	11. Chapter 11

I'm sad this story is over. I had so much fun writing it and the response has been amazing. Thank you so much to everyone who has read and reviewed, as well as for all the favorites and alerts. And for those that are interested, I already have another idea for a story, so you'll be hearing from me again hopefully soon. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11 <strong>

_It all happened so quickly. Andy heard shots fired and saw Sam go down. There were more shots and she felt herself knocked to the ground. In what felt like slow motion, her head turned and she saw blood gushing from Sam's head. She laid her hand on her chest and realized it was in a pool of blood. Her vest, where had her vest gone? She had been wearing it, hadn't she? She reached out gripping Sam's hand and closed her eyes, feeling herself drift away._

Andy bolted up in bed. Tears were streaming down her face and her heart was pounding so hard she thought it would pop out of her chest. She realized she was squeezing Sam's hand and looked over to find him still asleep. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was 3am. She didn't want to wake him, so she gently released his hand and snuck out of bed. She padded to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. Looking at her reflection in the mirror above the sink, she saw the water mixed with tears dripping down her face. _I wish these nightmares would go away_, she thought. They came sporadically, every few nights, but always ended with Marco killing both her and Sam.

As she dried her face with a towel, she felt Sam's presence in the doorway of the bathroom. When he woke up to find her side of the bed cold, he knew she'd had another nightmare. He padded over to her, turned her toward him and embraced her. Knowing no words could comfort her right now, he remained silent and simply held her.

"When will they end?" she asked after a few minutes.

"I don't know. They will though. Your mind just needs to get over the traumatic experience. This is its way of coping," he replied.

"Yeah, well, it's way of coping sucks," she pouted.

He ran his hands through her hair as she rested her head on his shoulder. "It gets better," he said.

After standing silently in the same position for several minutes, Sam thought she may have fallen asleep leaning against him. "Andy?"

"Hmm?" she mumbled into his chest.

He could tell her body had calmed down after the nightmare and picked her up bridal style to carry her back to the bedroom. Her arms circled around his neck and she kissed his cheek. "I love you, Sam," she said, half asleep.

Sam placed her gently on the bed and joined her. She curled into him, and as he pulled her closer, he quietly said, "I love you too, Andy, more than you know."

* * *

><p>The next day Andy sat at her desk completing paperwork while she waited for Sam to finish interviewing a suspect so they could go home. She had been partnered with Chris and they had a rather slow day, allowing them to get back to the station early.<p>

"I just overhead the detectives talking about Luke," Chris said as he slipped into the chair next to Andy. She glanced up, but continued typing information into her computer.

"They said he'll be going to jail for at least a few years," he continued.

"Well, that was expected," Andy said, still not looking up from her computer.

"Apparently he was telling the truth. I heard them say IA only found a couple of his cases tainted by Santino and he's been pretty honest with the investigators."

Andy sighed and sat back in her chair, turning slightly to face Chris. "It still doesn't make up for the damage he caused, all the officers he hurt," she said. There had been many moments since she learned what Luke did that Andy had thought about the what ifs. What if Sam had died years ago on that UC operation? What if she had never had the chance to meet him? Of all the things Luke did, it was him hurting Sam that made her the most angry.

"I'm glad he's not a completely dirty cop, Chris, but there are some things – he's just not the person I once thought he was," she said.

"Who isn't who you thought?" Dov asked as he perched himself on the edge of the table next to Chris.

"Luke. I overheard the detectives talking," Chris said, enjoying the fact he knew something before Dov.

"Ooooh, I wanna know what you heard," Dov said excitedly.

Andy laughed at her friends, the kings of the rumor mill. "Get out of here would you? I'm trying to finish my paperwork," she said, playfully swatting at her friends. She watched as they headed to the locker room, Dov listening intently as Chris animatedly told him what he heard.

A familiar hand on Andy's shoulder pulled her attention away from her friends and she turned around to see Sam standing next to her.

"Sorry that took so long. Ready to go home?" he asked.

"Yup, more than ready," she smiled, deciding the rest of her paperwork could wait until tomorrow.

Before they could make their way to the locker rooms to change, Frank called them up to his office. When they were seated, he stood and perched himself on the front of his desk in front of his two officers.

"I thought you'd want to know, Marco Santino died this morning. There were complications after the surgery to remove the bullet and while undergoing a second surgery they couldn't save him," Frank said.

"Wow, that's an unexpected end to all this," Sam said, a mixture of relief and shock running through his body.

"That's great news," Andy said, feeling a bit odd that she was happy about someone's death.

"This doesn't end everything though. The list of charges against Santino's crew is lengthy and they will be going to jail for a long time. You will both likely need to testify at the trials. The prosecutor will be in touch about that," Frank said.

Sam and Andy nodded, knowing that was the next step.

"Okay, that's it, get out of here and have a nice night," Frank said, moving back around his desk.

"Thanks Frank. You too," Sam replied.

As they left Frank's office, Andy grabbed Sam's hand and intertwined their fingers. "It's over. He can't escape. He can't work with someone outside of prison. He can't hurt you," she said.

"He can't hurt _you_. That's all I care about," he said, bringing her hand to his lips.

* * *

><p>A few days later, Andy and Sam pulled up to Traci's building and walked up the two flights of stairs to her apartment.<p>

"We couldn't have slept another hour or two?" Sam asked grumpily.

"No. I told her I'd be here at 9 o'clock because she wanted to take Leo to the park before lunch," Andy responded. She wouldn't admit that she didn't _want _to wait any longer, even an hour, to move the rest of her things to Sam's place.

"It's not _my_ fault we didn't sleep much last night," she said smirking.

"Really? Cause I remember you being an active participant in keeping me…awake," he teased, earning a wide-eyed stare as Andy's cheeks became flush.

"Just drink your coffee sleepyhead," Andy replied, tapping the cup in his hand. That earned her a grunt as she knocked on Traci's door.

"Hey Andy!" Traci said after opening the door. "Hi Sam."

"Don't mind him. He's annoyed that he's missing his beauty sleep this morning," Andy said, and the two friends laughed.

"All your stuff is right here," Traci said, pointing to a handful of boxes. "I put a few things of yours that were lying around in one of the boxes so you wouldn't forget them."

"Thanks Trace, and thanks for keeping all this stuff here for so long," Andy said, walking over to the boxes.

"No problem," she responded, and cringed when they heard a crash from another room. "Oh no, what did Leo get himself into now?" Traci rushed out to make sure her son was okay.

"I'll start bringing this stuff to the truck," Sam said, and handed Andy his coffee cup before picking up two of the smaller boxes.

Traci came back holding several pieces of a wooden lamp in her hands. "Leo was having a pillow fight with his imaginary friend," Traci explained, and feigned anger when Andy laughed. "Just you wait until you have little Swarek's running around," she teased.

"Trace!" Andy shot a glance toward the door to make sure Sam hadn't heard that. "We just decided to move in together, it's not like we're married or having kids. Get that thought out of your head!"

"What thought?" Sam asked as he walked back into the apartment and picked up another box.

"Uh, nothing, nothing," Andy stammered and picked up a box herself. "Let me help you with these." Following Sam out the door, Andy glanced back at her friend giving her a wide-eyed what-were-you-thinking stare. Traci simply smiled, knowing that being as head over heels in love as those two were, marriage and kids would come sooner than her friend thought.

After the last of the boxes were loaded in Sam's truck, they said their goodbyes to Traci and headed out.

"Okay, since you got me up early for this, we're making a stop on the way home," Sam said as he pulled out into the street.

Andy wasn't sure what he had in mind until he parked in front of the Furniture Outlet. "Let's go get you a dresser," Sam said, getting out of the truck.

They walked through the entire store. Twice. When she told him she narrowed it down to five pieces and needed to take yet another look, he realized he was never taking Andy furniture shopping again.

"What do you think, Sam? That dark one matches your furniture better, but I love the engravings on this one," she said, pointing to an oak five-drawer dresser with antique knobs.

"Whichever one you like is good with me," he said, having lost interest an hour earlier.

"Sam," she huffed and put her hands on her hips. "Forget it, let's just go."

"Andy, wait," he said, sighing and grabbing her arm before she could run off. He circled his arms around her, resting them on her lower back, and pulled her close. He hated to see the pout on her face. "What's wrong?"

She placed her palms on his chest, but refused to look up at him. "Nothing. I'm fine."

He tucked her bangs gently behind her ear and let his hand rest on her cheek. "You are not fine. We've spent more than two hours walking around this store and now you want to leave with nothing?"

"You don't like anything," she said shyly.

"Why would you think that?" he asked, but didn't wait for a response. "There are probably 100 different dressers in here and any of them would be perfectly fine with me. This is _your_ dresser, going in_ our_ apartment. I want you to like it."

She smiled at the use of 'our apartment.' "So, if I picked that black one with red paint splatter, you'd be okay with that?" she asked, glancing toward the ugliest dresser in the store.

"Okay, maybe not that ugly thing, but these two you've been looking at for the past 20 minutes. They're both beautiful. Which one do you like better?"

She wasn't used to being the decision-maker. When she and Luke had shopped for furnishings for their house, he always had the final say. He listened to her suggestions, but it was always what he liked best.

Andy pulled away from Sam and pointed at the oak dresser. "This one. I really, really like this one. This is it," she said with the excitement of a giddy child.

"Okay, was that so hard?" he teased before waving down a salesperson.

She looked up at Sam as he talked to the salesman and wondered what she did to deserve him.

* * *

><p>Getting the dresser from Sam's truck to the bedroom was an interesting sight. It was a bit heavy and awkward to handle. Andy suggested they remove the drawers to make it easier, and lighter, to carry, but Sam was being stubborn. Grunting, he lifted the bottom end of the dresser while Andy took the top end.<p>

As he grunted again and shifted the weight of the dresser, Andy made the suggestion again.

"No," he huffed. "I can do this."

Andy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I can see that."

They finally made it up the stairs and got about two steps in the apartment before Andy felt more weight on her end and noticed Sam lost his hold for a second. "Stop moving," he squeaked out.

"Ready to take the drawers out yet?" Andy asked. She was about to smirk until she saw Sam taking deep breaths and squinting his eyes.

"You had to pick the dresser with little feet on it, didn't you?" At his question, Andy burst out laughing as she realized what happened. As he shifted to turn the corner, he lost his grip and one foot of the dresser slid into his groin.

"Laugh all you want now, McNally."

"Maybe if you had listened to me - " she was cut off by his glare and decided on another approach as they began inching down the hallway again. "I promise to kiss it and make it all better later," she said with a suggestive grin on her face.

"That's a promise you're keeping," Sam smiled.

Andy admired her new dresser once they got it in place in the bedroom and very excitedly transferred her clothes from Sam's dresser into hers. Sam looked on from his seat on the edge of the bed and thought about how at home she looked at that moment. At home in _their_ home. He reached out and put a finger in the belt loop of her jeans and jerked her toward him. Tripping over his feet, she tumbled onto the bed, pinning him beneath her. He brought his lips up to meet hers and then nuzzled her nose.

"We need to get the boxes from your truck," Andy said, pushing herself off the bed.

"I'm injured and you want me to carry boxes?" Sam asked, like it was the craziest thought in the world.

"Come on," she whined. "The sooner we bring them in the sooner I can be moved in."

Okay, she got him with that. He wanted her moved in, wanted her to feel that this was her home too. Reluctantly he got up and followed Andy out to his truck. In a few trips, all her boxes were piled in the living room and she was already going through some of them.

Sam just watched as she unpacked the rest of her clothes and quickly filled her new dresser. Then he saw her looking through a box of photos she brought into the bedroom. New and old photos, photos of her and her dad, photos of her with Traci, Chris, Dov and Gail, and a few of her and Sam. There was even the rare photo taken when all the rookies and TOs were together. _Photos of my family,_ she thought. She picked out several to place on top of her dresser and then bit her bottom lip as she contemplated the remaining frames in the box.

"Sam, would you mind if I put some of these photos out in the living room? One of me and my dad, and maybe a few with Traci, Dov, Chris and Gail," she asked shyly.

"You don't have to ask my permission, Andy. You live here now too," Sam replied. Andy grinned. She had to get used to that. This was her home now, her and Sam's home.

"Any photos I can use to blackmail any of the other rookies into doing my paperwork?" he asked hopeful.

"No, and remind me to hide the rest of my photos," she laughed.

After unpacking a few more things from the remaining boxes, Andy curled up with Sam on the couch. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as she tucked her feet under her and buried herself into Sam's side. She leaned her head against his chest and closed her eyes. _I'm happy, truly happy, _she thought. _I have my friends, my family, my Sam._

_I could spend every night of my life like this, _Sam thought. He was staring at Andy thinking how beautiful she was when her lips curved up into a smile.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"It's perfect, everything is perfect," she replied.

Sam agreed. _Yeah, this is perfect_, he thought, and wrapped his arm around her even tighter.

THE END


End file.
